Oregon Voters Said "YES" to Tax Fairness, "YES" to Ballot Measures 66 & 67
OEA Member Involvement in the Successful Campaign for Tax Fairness and Passage of Measures 66 & 67:
Phone call outreach (from phone banking and at home):
# of Phone Calls – 85,991
# of Voter Contacts – 63,280
Canvassing:
# of Doors Knocked On - 16,067
# of Contacts – 6,547
January 26 Was a Victory for Oregon's Schools
OEA President Gail Rasmussen: “Oregon voters took a stand against more 4-day school weeks and bulging class sizes and said yes to corporations and the wealthy paying their fair share."
Tonight’s results are a credit to the hard work of parents, educators, and thousands of Oregonians from every walk of life who stood up to protect our schools.
Our legislative leaders deserve credit, too. They challenged the corporate lobbyists and special interests that said Oregonians would never pass tax fairness measures.
The message from Oregon voters was loud and clear: protect our classrooms.
Now, educators want to change the conversation. We want to talk about investing in education, investing in our future. Dollar-for-dollar, education is the best investment Oregon can make.
Check out some of the Election Night buzz from January 26:
http://www.facebook.com/OregonEA
http://www.twitter.com/OregonEducation
Members Tell Why They Encouraged YES on 66 & 67
On January 23, OEA members gathered on the sidewalk in front of the Central Branch of the Multnomah County Library to chat with voters and encourage a YES vote on 66 & 67. Here are some of their stories. Link to non-YouTube version.
 What Was at Stake
For years, profitable corporations have paid less and less of the state budget. In the 1970s, corporations’ contribution to vital services was 18%. In 2009 that fell to just 6%. If the recent budget measures by the Oregon Legislature was overturned, two-thirds of corporations would have continued to pay just $10 a year in income taxes. See the effect on your local school district if these reforms did not pass.
ALSO: County-by-County breakdown, and the effects on rural communities, if these important measures do not pass.
Corporations and the wealthy need to pay their fair share to protect schools, community colleges, and other vital services. Without these measures, our local economies will see more layoffs, cut days, cut programs, and demands for employee concessions. With a YES vote 97.5% of Oregon taxpayers will see no tax increase, and 88% of businesses will pay only the $150 minimum.
More information:
- Will These Changes Affect Me?
- Will These Changes Affect My Business?
- Here is What Measures 66 & 67 Do
- Get the Facts on Measures 66 & 67
- Fact Versus Fiction
- Frequently Asked Questions About Measures 66 & 67
- An open letter to Oregon’s business community on the legislature’s corporate tax measure
Background: Legislature Improves Funding, Tax Fairness Under Attack
The 2009 Oregon Legislature passed the following two reforms to help generate more funding for public education, health, and safety:
1.) Raised the outdated $10 corporate minimum tax and increased the tax rate on profitable corporations (2/3 of profitable corporations in Oregon paid this $10 minimum, in place since 1931).
2.) Increased tax rates on the richest 2.5% of Oregonians by increasing the marginal tax rate on income over $250,000 for couples and over $125,000 for single filers.
Over the past several decades, the tax burden has shifted from large, profitable corporations and the rich to the backs of middle-class working families. These reforms by the Legislature help reverse that trend and establish greater fairness.
However...
A group of large corporations led by tobacco lobbyist Mark Nelson successfully gathered signatures to force these reforms to the ballot. Nelson hired a signature-gathering firm run by Kevin Mannix to circulate the petitions which resulted in measures 66 & 67 and the January 26 special election.
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