In 2016, Oregon ballot measure 97 proposed a 2.5% tax on corporate sales that exceeded $25 million, with the money going to the Oregon Legislature’s general fund. The measure exempted any corporation that performed legally defined “benefits” to society or the environment.
Measure 97 saw major backlash from corporations and ultimately failed to move forward: 808,310 Oregonians voted yes and 1,164,658 voted no.
This November, Antonio Gisbert and Anthony Johnson plan to petition the legislature in a similar vein – a 3% tax on corporations reporting $25 million or more in sales – with one major difference: the money will go directly into Oregonians’ pockets.
Gisbert and Johnson are still collecting signatures, but their petition – formally known as the Oregon People’s Rebate – has already received campaign finance support in the form of $36,300 from Gerald Huff for Humanity Inc, a nonprofit that advocates for universal basic income. The petitioners believe they are one track for the July deadline to get on the November ballot.
Johnson reports that Oregon corporations at that level of revenue currently pay just an eighth of one percent in taxes. Gisbert says that the $3 billion in rebate funds – about $3,000 per family of four – could reduce child poverty in Oregon by a quarter.
When Measure 97 went to the floor, corporate opponents spent many millions of dollars to defeat it. The Oregon People’s Rebate could face a similar battle, but Johnson says that anti-corporate sentiment is more prevalent today than it was six years ago.
To read the full text of the petition or request a signature sheet by mail, visit https://opr2022.org/en/.
By Grace Miller
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