Representative Ed Diehl, President of Oregon Freedom Coalition.
It took less than three weeks for Representative Ed Diehl (R) to deliver a quarter million signatures – all gathered by volunteers – against a massive transportation tax package rammed through by Democrat supermajorities and signed by Governor Tina Kotek (D), quadrupling the minimum number of signatures needed to put it on the ballot.
On Tuesday night, it took mere minutes for newscasters to declare the tax hike dead, with 5 of every 6 voters deciding they were better off being left alone by their government.
The defeat is expected to serve as a wakeup call to Democrats after the legislature – panicked that high voter turnout in November could threaten their prized tax increase – passed legislation to move the election date back to the May primary, where much lower public awareness would give state employee unions and other powerful aligned organizations a chance to flood the vote.
It didn’t work.
Even in the reliably progressive state of Oregon, 855,267 voters rejected the Democrat party’s sweeping tax hike bill, compared to just 174,117 in support. Not a single county voted for new taxes; the highest percentage of support was in Benton County, where a miserable 29.3% voted yes.
Despite the party’s rhetoric of taxing the rich, the now-soundly defeated Measure 120 would have raised taxes on the working poor in three different ways:
- Raise the gas tax by six cents per gallon. Impact: Everyone who drives a gas car. [DEFEATED]
- Double the titling fee (+$139) and increase the annual registration fee (+$42). Impact: Everyone who owns a car, trailer, or motorcycle. [DEFEATED]
- Add a 1.1% payroll tax to every paycheck. Impact: Everyone who has a job. [DEFEATED]
Rep. Ed Diehl, who earned widespread recognition and popularity as the driving force behind the now-successful repeal campaign, encouraged Democrats to read the writing on the wall and find a better solution to transportation funding problems than yet another tax increase.
“The people have spoken. They’re not happy with what Governor Kotek tried to do, and they’re telling her resoundingly: We want an ODOT that’s accountable for the money they are already collecting,” said Diehl.
Through the Oregon Freedom Coalition and its subsidiary, No Tax Oregon (notaxor.com), Diehl and Executive Director Nick Stark – who was also instrumental in the defeat of the tax package – now set their sights on the November general election, where they are targeting a number of other tax hikes through the initiative referendum process. Senate Bill 1507, for instance, was passed by Democrats this year and would raise taxes by $300 million by disconnecting Oregon from federal tax code conformity, hitting small businesses particularly hard.
Stark expressed confidence in Oregon voters’ ability to see through the gimmicks of Salem politicians.
“Oregon Freedom Coalition and No Tax Oregon have proven their ability to defend Oregon taxpayers when Salem imposes its will on their wallets. We will give voters a voice on SB 1507, which essentially amounts to small business robbery,” said Stark. “This bill will face public scrutiny, and it will be on the ballot in November alongside the same politicians who think they do not have to be held accountable to the people of Oregon.”
The Oregon Freedom Coalition has also joined the fight to repeal the death tax, since Oregon remains one of just twelve states to still impose one – and Democrats in Salem attempted to raise it to a whopping 20% earlier this year. Chief Petitioner and Representative Kevin Mannix said this initiative “promises Oregonians that their families and businesses will not face another tax upon the death of a dear family member.”
While one party continues to dominate state politics, Tuesday’s results make clear that taxpayers of any party can and will come together to defeat unnecessary new taxes that make it harder for their families to thrive. Oregonians can look forward to November, where they will surely have several more opportunities to push back against politicians hungry for even more of their hard-earned dollars.
