Oregonian: No on “cursed” Measure 120

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

The Oregonian Editorial Board has come out and officially opposed the Measure 120 $4.3 billion gas tax.

Here are some of their comments:

“Voters should vote “no” on Measure 120 and drive a stake through the heart of this cursed transportation package.”

And additionally:

“But the legislation leaves too many open questions that Democrats must be prepared to address in a future proposal.Among them: how to ensure that the money goes to maintenance and isn’t siphoned off to backfill highway projects that have been underestimated and poorly managed; whether lawmakers will ensure that the money is used as efficiently as possible and without labor mandates that have been shown to increase expenses, as Kotek sought to…”

And;

“They should also show a greater sensitivity to Oregonians’ weariness with taxes. In defending the package, Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, pointed out that the $4 billion increase, spread over 10 years, amounts to only $400 million a year in new revenue. With 4 million Oregon residents, he said, that works out to $100 a person per year.The better math would consider the impact to a family of four — $400 a year — hardly something to dismiss, even with the state’s passage of an increase in the earned income tax credit that Gomberg pointed out.”