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BY ALAN PITTMAN
Anti-tax Spending
The rich fight taxes for schools, government
$13,500 from the Seneca Jones Timber
company run by local multi-millionaire
Aaron Jones and $11,500 from Rosboro
lumber. The Giustina land and timber
baron clan spent $11,500. The Alltucker
family of gravel and land barons that
owns Eugene Sand and Gravel and other
development companies spent $10,000 to
defeat the measures. The Wildish gravel
and land bunch spent $3,000; the Gonyea
timber and land barons $2,000; and Tyree
Oil fuel distribution $1,000.
The largest local
contributor to the
“no” campaign
appears to be the
Papé family
Besides Knight, the biggest “no”
donors statewide include Weyerhaeuser
($78,000), and Columbia Sportswear
CEO Tim Boyle ($51,000). Timber/
land companies Roseburg ($45,000),
Stimson (40,000), Plum Creek (36,000)
and Longview (26,000) were all leading
contributors. Dentist equipment maker
A DEC spent $30,000, Qwest $26,000,
aggregate company Knife River $25,000
and Schnitzer Steel $25,000.
Recent statewide AOI pass-though
donations appear to include Hoffman
Construction ($25,000), Siltronic computer
chip wafers ($25,000), Electric Steel
Company ($25,000), Benson construction
($20,000), The Standard insurance ($15,000),
JELD-WEN windows and doors $15,000
and Northwest Natural Gas $15,000.
The campaign by the millionaires and
corporations argues that if the rich pay
more taxes they will hire fewer people
to work for them. But supporters of the
revenue measures counter that it’s unlikely
that businesses would reduce their needed
hiring because of a relatively small tax
increase. Even with the tax increase, 90
percent of other states would have higher
business taxes than Oregon, according to a
national study.
Supporters of the tax measures have
raised about $5 million, mostly from
contributions from tens of thousands of
workers passed through their labor unions.
Ironically, many of the millionaires and
corporations fi ghting to defeat Measures
66 and 67 will benefi t if the revenue
passes. For roads and buildings, state and
local governments are among the major
customers of construction and sand and
gravel companies, for example, and many
of the donors have made millions from
government contracts.
Charles Sheketoff of the Oregon Center
for Public Policy scratches his head at
the “economic fl at-earthers” opposing
Measures 66 and 67. He wrote in a
recent essay, “In every corner of Oregon,
the private sector benefi ts directly and
ew
indirectly from public spending.”
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O
regon billionaires, millionaires and
corporate CEOs have spent about
$4 million to defeat taxes on them
that would save schools, health care, public
safety and other government services from
brutal cuts.
The Eugene Chamber of Commerce
has joined the anti-tax conservatives,
contributing $2,500 to campaign against
Measures 66 & 67, according to the state’s
campaign contribution database.
If the measures fail as the chamber wants,
the already struggling local economy could
be dealt a heavy blow. With the UO here,
about one in fi ve local jobs in Lane County
are with state and local governments.
The 4J School District estimates that it
could have to lay off 94 teachers or cut 19
school days to make up from the lost state
money if the measures fail.
The UO, the county’s largest employer
with about 5,000 jobs, also stands to lose
millions. The UO estimates that with
21,000 students it pumps about $1.5 billion
into the economy.
The Eugene Chamber donation to the
“no” campaign by corporate and wealthy
interests itself appears to be a corporate
pass-through. The Eugene Chamber PAC
reported a recent $2,500 donation from
Northwest Natural Gas, a corporation that
reported $1 billion in revenue last year.
Northwest Natural appears to have never
donated before to the Eugene Chamber
PAC, which saw its last other activity two
years ago.
Almost all the taxes from Measure
67 would come from huge corporations
like Northwest Natural. Many of these
large corporations avoid taxes through
accounting loopholes. The measure would
increase the $10 corporate minimum tax
(last increased 80 years ago) to a maximum
of $100,000.
Most small to medium-sized businesses
would pay nothing in increased taxes (because
they aren’t registered as C corporations) or
would pay a minimum tax of $150.
Nike shoe baron Phil Knight has given
$100,000 to the “no” campaign, the largest
individual contribution. Knight, one of
the richest people in the world, has an
estimated worth of $10 billion, according
to Forbes magazine.
Measure 66 would increase taxes on
households with more than $250,000 a
year in income ($125,000 for single fi lers)
by about 2 percentage points. The measure
would not increase taxes for the 98 percent
of people earning less. Many people hit by
the recession and receiving unemployment
benefi ts would get a tax break under the
measure.
The largest local contributor to the “no”
campaign appears to be the Papé family
millionaires who inherited a Eugene-based
construction equipment company. Papé
recently gave $25,000 in donations to
Associated Oregon Industries (AOI), one
of the largest pass-through contributors to
the “no” campaign.
Other local corporations/millionaires
spending on the “no” campaign include
Seminars
&
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EUGENE WEEKLY JANUARY 21, 2010 15