Kotek calls to repeal her own gas tax … but with a dirty trick

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek issued a press release that called for stopping her own gas tax.   The very gas tax she rammed through the Legislature and for which a historic campaign was launched that gathered a quarter million petition signatures to force the issue to the ballot for a public vote. That campaign was led by Chief Petitioners, Senator Bruce Starr, Representative Ed Diehl, Jason Williams of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon.

Now, Kotek calls to stop the gas tax but also repeal the entire original transportation bill HB 3991.   You see, in the original HB 3991 there were good items (like auditing ODOT, Truck tax reforms) and there were bad items (like gas tax, DMV fee hikes, wage tax hike).   The historic referendum drive only pulled out the bad tax increases (gas tax, DMV fee hikes, transit wage hike) for a publci vote, but left the good parts of HB 3991 intact — which are now law.

OPB reports that Kotek is, “asking Democratic lawmakers to pass a bill scrapping the entirety of the bill she muscled through in a special session over the summer. That move would render moot a vote, scheduled for November, on whether tax increases in the bill can move forward. But it would also do away with other changes in the bill, like a long-sought shift in how freight haulers are taxed”

It appears Kotek’s scheme is to pluck out the good ODOT reforms (which are currently law) and cancel them and then re-use them as hostage in order to push through bad ideas she has on how to fund ODOT.  Kotek may try to push through fees increases.  Kotek may try to link it to other taxes.  Kotek may try to force more borrowing to spend more for ODOT today but pay it back later.

This is so tragic.  All Kotek needs to do is just do the right thing.  Sit down with lawmakers on both sides and work out a compromise like all 49 other governors do.   Don’t play ugly politics.  Don’t play political hostage-taking.   Just do the right thing.