South of the border: Oregonians to vote on taxes
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The Washington elections will long be over by then, but come January, Oregonians will be voting on taxes.
Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown certified two referenda to the Oregon ballot, giving voters the last word on $733 million worth of personal and corporate income tax hikes that were adopted by Salem earlier this year to help close a huge budget gap. Washington lawmakers closed a $9 billion gap without general tax increases, but some majority Democrats say some modest increases may be necessary to close another $1 billion-plus projected deficit.
Brown says foes of the two Oregon tax bills, Oregonians Against Job-Killing Taxes, easily qualified for the ballot. A coalition called Defend Oregon, is gearing up to defend the taxes. The Oregonian newspaper foresees a multimillion-dollar campaign by the two sides.
Ballots for the Jan. 26 election begin going into the mail Jan. 8. The voter registration deadline is Jan. 5. Oregon votes entirely by mail.
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Secretary of State
Steve Hobbs
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