Both passed by margins of about 53 percent to 47 percent, and were the first tax hikes approved by Oregon voters since 2002. The “Vote Yes for Oregon” campaign, led by teachers unions and public-sector unions, said the measures are needed to balance the state’s estimated $727 million two-year budget shortfall.
Other states are considering so-called “sin taxes,” which typically target smokers, drinkers and gamblers. In New York, Gov. David A. Paterson, a Democrat, has proposed slicing the state’s projected $7.4 billion deficit by, among other things, slapping a tax on soda and adding another $1 to the cost of a pack of cigarettes.
Valerie Richardson covers politics and the West from Denver. She can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
A politically conservative and morally liberal Hebrew alpha male hunts left-wing viper
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
NRA kicks off annual convention
8 Photos
California wildfires wreak havoc
37 Photos
