SALEM, OR - A 730-million dollar budget balancing tax package is suddenly
in jeopardy in Salem. One of the tax bills failed on the floor of the
Oregon Senate today. The surprise development came
down to one vote. Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.
Legislative leaders say the money is needed to head off deeper cuts
to human services, education and public safety. The first measure
would raise taxes on corporations. The second would raise taxes on
households earning more than 250-thousand dollars a year. Tax hikes
need approval by a three-fifths majority in the Legislature. That’s
exactly how many votes Democrats have in the Senate. But one
Democrat, Senator Mark Hass, crossed the aisle and voted “no” with
the Republicans. Hass said he wanted the tax increases to expire
after the current recession is over.
Hass: “I support this bill in the context of our economic
emergency. But I do believe we need to make a small change in a
Senate committee to fix it.”
Lawmakers voted to put the tax measures on hold. That means they
can be brought back. Democratic Senate President Peter Courtney
issued a written statement saying he was disappointed with the
vote’s outcome.
Copyright 2009 OPB