Plans to raise Oregon's corporations and upper income earners taxes came to a screeching halt when Senate Democrat Mark Hass, D- Beaverton, would not give the 18th vote that was needed for three-fifths majority for the bill to pass.
"It's hard to separate what's real from the melodrama," said a disappointed Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, after the vote. "What's real is, we have 17 votes and we need 18."
Hass's "no" vote sank the proposed package of tax and fee increases for corporations, to include the companion measure that would raise income taxes on people that make more than $125,000 or households of over $250,000.
Hass said he wants the tax increases to be temporary, which is what a plan promoted by the Oregon Business Association calls for. He likened the tax increase to a homeowner getting flashlights and blankets from a neighbor during a storm, then not giving them back when the storm passes. "Sorry, but that's not the Oregon way," Hass said.
These senators immediately voted to table the bill, which means that the bill could be brought back to the Senate floor for another vote.
"I'm prepared to cut the living daylights out of budgets if that's what you want," said Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene. Walker chairs the subcommittee that writes budgets for natural resource programs.
Ryan Deckert, executive director of the Oregon Business Association, commented that an easy way out for lawmakers is to accept a slightly smaller corporate tax increase and make it temporary. However, not everyone on the Democratic floor feels as optimistic.
"I implore you," Sen. Alan Bates, D-Ashland repeated three times, looking directly at his longtime colleague. "The state will go into chaos without these bills."
Governor Ted tax-and-gouge-me is also hoping that the Senate will reconsider as well as groups advocating for higher spending on schools and other state programs.
We're talking thousands of teacher layoffs statewide" if the Legislature is forced to cut the amount of money the taxes would have raised, said Otto Schell, legislative director for the statewide Parent Teachers Association. "It will be a meat-axe to the K-12 budget."
isn't it interesting on how they start to panic when THEIR source of revenue is threatened.
They are going to have to make some serious decisions on eliminating some unnecessary programs and spending just like the rest of us have.
Perhaps, they will start to get the message that the money tree is starting to get a little bare.
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