» Oregon voters raise taxes

From staff reports
Monday, February 01, 2010 | 4 comment(s) While statewide voters approved Measures 66 and 67 in Tuesday’s special election, Coos and Curry counties voted no.

With all the precincts counted, Coos County voters rejected Measure 66, with 11,805 votes (53 percent) against the measure and 10,605 votes (47 percent) for the measure, According to the Coos County Elections Division.

Measure 66 raises income taxes on individuals making more than $125,000 per year, or $250,000 for couples, estimated at fewer than 3 percent of filers, according to the State of Oregon.

Coos County voters also defeated Measure 67, which raises the minimum tax on businesses from $10 to at least $150. Coos County voters cast 12,001 votes against Measure 67 (53 percent), and 10,459 votes in favor (47 percent).

Voter turnout in Coos County was almost 65 percent.

Statewide, with 91 percent of the vote counted, the vote was 54-46 on Measure 66 and 53-47 on Measure 67. Oregon voters have consistently rebuffed legislative attempts to take more in tax revenue — such as a cigarette tax to pay for health insurance for children three years ago, two previous income tax measures that would have hit most Oregonians and nine sales tax measures over the decades.

The vote affirms the two-year budget the Legislature controlled by Democrats adopted last year, and spares it $727 million worth of budget cutting during a four-week session that begins Monday.

No one knows exactly what impact Measures 66 and 67 will have on Oregon’s economy, but Sen. Joanne Verger, D-Coos Bay, knows it won’t make business in Salem any easier.

“It’s been a very divisive campaign,” she said. “I just think we’ve got to do better in learning how to come together just so we don’t have to have this kind of thing.”

Rep. Wayne Krieger, R-Gold Beach, said he wasn’t surprised the tax measures passed, suggesting voters were roused to vote by misleading ads. He is concerned economic recovery could take longer with the additional taxes.

“At some point, they just have to say we’ve got to stop this unprecedented growth in spending,” he said. Supporters of the bill had suggested the failure of Measures 66 and 67 would have left schools and other public agencies facing cuts.

— World staff writer Alexander Rich contributed to this story.