Rep. Gamba slams voters as “petulant children” for rejecting more taxes

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Oregon State Representative Mark Gamba (D) just told

OPB reports, “SB 687 is part of the answer, freeing up local leaders to enact new taxes they view as necessary without seeking voters’ blessing.   Every year, cities and counties get poorer and poorer and their infrastructure gets older and older,” said state Rep. Mark Gamba, a Democratic sponsor of the bill … Gamba said voters too often act like “petulant children” standing in the way of taxes that are necessary to replace vital infrastructure like roads, sewage plants and libraries.”

Representative Mark Gamba also said “Someone needs to be the responsible adult in the room,” he told OPB. “And I mean that so emphatically that I would be thrilled if you quoted me.”

Representative Mark Gamba’s bill, SB 687, would remove the voter-participation rule for local gas taxes, where local governments must hold a public vote for any gas tax or transportation tax.

Right now, local governments can raise all the road taxes they want — they just need to get public approval.  Rep. Gamba wants to shut out the voter for whom he calls “children”.

Gamba says local government is “getting poorer and poorer”.   Wait, Oregon has the #10 most expensive gas tax in America.  Portland just renewed their 10-cent gas tax last year.  The state politicians in 2017, passed a massive payroll tax on our wages to fund local transportation projects.   Government is not getting poorer and poorer — it is getting richer and richer.

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