Oregon Ballot Measure 97 (2016)

Last updated
Measure 97
Increases corporate minimum tax when sales exceed $25 million; funds education, healthcare, senior services
Results
Votes%
Yes check.svg Yes808,31040.97%
X mark.svg No1,164,65859.03%
Total votes1,972,968100.00%
Results by county
Oregon 2014 Measure 86.svg
  Yes    No
Source: Oregon Secretary of State [1]

Oregon Ballot Measure 97 was a ballot measure in the 2016 election in the U.S. state of Oregon. The initiative asked voters to determine whether or not to impose a 2.5 percent gross receipts tax on C corporations with Oregon sales exceeding $25 million. [2] [3] S corporations and benefit companies (companies that benefit society and the environment, as determined under state law) would be exempt from the tax. [4] [5] It was estimated the measure would raise $3 billion annually for the state, if passed. [6]

Ballot measure

A ballot measure is a piece of proposed legislation to be approved or rejected by eligible voters. Ballot measures are also known as "propositions" or simply "questions".

U.S. state constituent political entity of the United States

In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders. Four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.

Contents

The nonpartisan Oregon Legislative Revenue Office determined that of the some 250,000 businesses registered in Oregon, 951 would be subject to the tax; of these, the hundred largest taxpayers would pay about two-thirds of the monies raised. The same report estimated that wholesale companies in Oregon would see their taxes grow by almost $600 million, a 583 percent increase. Taxes on Oregon retailers would increase by $535 million, a 766 percent jump. Health care firms operating in Oregon would experience a 1,211 percent increase in their taxes, adding almost $100 million per year to the cost of health care across the state. [7]

During the state's general election held in November 2016, Oregon voters defeated the measure 59 percent (opposed) to 41 percent. [1]

Support and opposition

Listing in the 2016 voters' pamphlet Oregon Ballot Measure 97, 2016, voters' pamphlet.jpg
Listing in the 2016 voters' pamphlet

The campaigns for and against the ballot measure raised the most money ever over a ballot measure in Oregon. [8] [9] By the week before Election Day, combined fundraising for the two campaigns had reached $40 million. [10] Opponents of the measure outspent proponents of the measure; the anti-Measure 97 campaign, the Defeat the Tax on Oregon Sales Committee, raised almost $26 million, while the pro-Measure 97 committee Yes on 97 raised $14 million. [10] A separate pro-Measure 97 group, Defend Oregon, also raised funds in support of the measure's passage. [10] [11]

The major supporters of the Measure 97 were labor unions, and in particular the Oregon Education Association, the state's primary teachers' union, [12] which contributed a total of $2.1 million to the campaign in support of Measure 97. [10] The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 503, which is "the largest union representing Oregon state government workers", gave almost $3 million to the pro-Measure 97 campaign. [10] The American Federation of Teachers and the Oregon American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees also contributed to the pro-Measure 97 campaign. [11]

Oregon Education Association

The Oregon Education Association (OEA) is the largest public education employees' union in the U.S. state of Oregon, representing 44,000 teachers and classified personnel. It has local affiliates in each of the state's 199 public school districts, and 8 community colleges. It is the state affiliate of the National Education Association.

Service Employees International Union North American trade union

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: health care, including hospital, home care and nursing home workers; public services ; and property services.

American Federation of Teachers American labor union for teachers

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest teacher's labor union in America. The union was founded in Chicago in 1916, with Margaret Haley credited as its founder and first leader. A precursor to the group, the American Federation of Teachers and Students, was founded in 1900.

Major corporations mostly opposed the law. [12] Companies and trade associations that contributed to the campaign against the measure include, among others, Amazon.com, General Motors, Kroger/Fred Meyer, [12] J.P. Morgan Chase, Wal-Mart, [10] Costco, Safeway/Albertsons, [7] the Oregon Association of Realtors, Jive Software, Comcast, Pacific Seafood, and the Craft Brew Alliance. [11]

General Motors American automotive manufacturing company

General Motors Company, commonly referred to as General Motors (GM), is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Detroit that designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes vehicles and vehicle parts, and sells financial services, with global headquarters in Detroit's Renaissance Center. It was originally founded by William C. Durant on September 16, 1908 as a holding company. The company is the largest American automobile manufacturer, and one of the world's largest. As of 2018, General Motors is ranked #10 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

Kroger company

The Kroger Co., or simply Kroger, is an American retailing company founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the United States's largest supermarket chain by revenue, the second-largest general retailer and the seventeenth largest company in the United States. Kroger is also the fifth-largest retailer in the world and the third largest American-owner private employer in the United States. Kroger is ranked #17 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

Fred Meyer, Inc., is a chain of hypermarket superstores founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, by Fred G. Meyer. The stores are located in the western U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska. The company merged with Kroger in 1999, though the stores are still branded Fred Meyer. The chain was one of first in the United States to promote one-stop shopping, eventually combining a complete grocery supermarket with a drugstore, bank, clothing, jewelry, home decor, home improvement, garden, electronics, restaurant, shoes, sporting goods, and toys.

Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, supported the measure, while Brown's opponent in the 2016 gubernatorial election, Republican nominee William C. "Bud" Pierce, opposed the measure. [12]

Polling

A poll conducted by DHM Research during September 1–6 showed 60 percent of respondents were in favor of Measure 97, with 30 percent opposed. Another poll conducted by icitizen during September 2–7 found that 59 percent of 610 respondents were in favor of the measure passing, with 21 percent opposed. However, support decreased to 40 percent and opposition increased to 31 percent after participants heard arguments against Measure 97. The poll's margin of error was 4 percent. [13]

See also

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References

Specific
  1. 1 2 "Results: 2016 General Election, November 8, 2016" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Measure 97: Explanatory Statement" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State . Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  3. ↑ Borrud, Hillary (August 17, 2016). "FAQ: Oregon's corporate tax measure is a big deal. Here's why". The Oregonian . Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Measure 97 Description and Analysis", p. 3
  5. ↑ Katy Sword, Strange bedfellows: Measure 97 and the benefit company exemption, Oregon Business (November 1, 2016).
  6. ↑ Selsky, Andrew (October 23, 2016). "What's The Most Expensive Political Battle In Oregon? Measure 97". Oregon Public Broadcasting . Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Rogoway, Mike (October 28, 2016). "Measure 97 FAQ: How the tax would work, who would pay, where the money goes". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  8. ↑ Kish, Matthew (October 24, 2016). "Measure 97 now costliest in Oregon history". Portland Business Journal. American City Business Journals . Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  9. ↑ Achen, Paris (October 21, 2016). "Measure 97 breaks fundraising record". Portland Tribune . Pamplin Media Group. OCLC   46708462 . Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mapes, Jeff (November 2, 2016). "Measure 97 Campaign Hits $40 Million Mark After Last-Minute Contributions". Oregon Public Broadcasting . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 Borrud, Hillary (October 5, 2016). "Opponents of corporate tax measure report raising $16.8 million". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Kirk (September 8, 2016). "Measure 97, Seeking to Raise Corporate Taxes, Splits Oregon Voters". The New York Times . Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  13. ↑ Achen, Paris (September 13, 2016). "Poll: Support for Measure 97 erodes when voters hear pros/cons". Portland Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
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