Ahead of an expected tough re-election campaign, Oregon Democrat Governor Kate Brown is doubling-down on a plan to force through a massive $700 million tax hike, branded as a “hidden tax on energy.” With details slowly emerging about her new tax increase, editorial boards are sounding the alarm, noting that the tax could threaten Brown’s re-election prospects.
First, the Albany Democrat-Herald slammed Brown’s plan to rush through the tax with little debate.
Now, the Bulletin editorial board is opposing the tax, writing, “the more you learn about it, the worse it sounds.”
The Bulletin explains how Brown’s tax hike will hurt working families.
“For consumers, it would likely mean paying more for pretty much everything. It would work like a hidden tax on energy. Would Oregon’s economy drop like a rock?”
“If Oregon implements the tax, those businesses have a new incentive to pick up and move more operations to places where it is cheaper. The cap-and-invest program could become the “showing-business-the-door” program.”
The Bulletin concludes that he tax hike could be “the fast lane to minority party status or losing the governor’s office.”
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