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Oregon won't be tied with Washington and Colorado as the first states in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana use, as Oregon voters rejected Measure 80 Tuesday night.
The measure – which would have legalized marijuana use by adults, letting the state regulate and tax the substance – was losing 44 to 56 percent in incomplete returns, while similar but more restrictive proposals passed in the Evergreen and Centennial states.
But Measure 80's chief backer Paul Stanford was optimistic in defeat Tuesday, saying that the victories of those two better-funded campaigns would ease the path for legalization in Oregon.
"Our problem was that we couldn't get our message out to Oregonians," he said. "Now that we've shown we've come this close, they'll be more national support in the future."
Stanford said the issue will be before the Legislature next year and potentially on the ballot again soon if state lawmakers fail to act.
"When legislators see Oregonians traveling to Washington to buy legal, over-the-counter marijuana there, they'll want to keep those potential tax dollars here," he said.
Oregon voters did approve two tax-related measures Tuesday: Measure 79 constitutionally bans taxes on real estate transfers, which are levied when a property changes hands, and Measure 85 abolishes the corporate 'kicker' tax refund, diverting those dollars to K-12 public education.
Measures 79 and 85 were both passing 59 percent to 41 percent in incomplete late returns.
A third tax proposal, Measure 84, which would have phased out Oregon's inheritance tax over the next four years, was being heavily defeated, 54 percent to 46 percent, in incomplete returns.
The real estate transfer tax ban is largely pre-emptive, because state law already prohibits any other transfer taxes being instituted. But supporters were worried that state lawmakers would reverse course and scrap the ban.
"Our research showed that Oregon voters understood that this was not an appropriate taxing mechanism," Measure 79 spokesman Jon Coney said Tuesday night. "They realized homeowners deserved this kind of protection."
Backers spent over $5 million on the measure, with most of the funds coming from national and Oregon Realtors' associations. Defend Oregon, a coalition largely backed by public employee unions, was the main opponent.
Defend Oregon was successful, however, both in generating support for eliminating the corporate kicker and opposition to doing away with the inheritance tax.
"The big victory on these two measures should send a very clear signal: When it comes to protecting our most important priorities, Oregonians believe that we need adequate funding and that we need a tax system that's fair," Defend Oregon spokesman Scoot Moore said.
Measure 85 will only increase school funding sporadically, as the corporate 'kicker' is issued to businesses only when tax collections come in more than 2 percent above projections.
On the eight occasions the corporate kicker has been triggered since 1980, the total refund averaged $120 million.
"Oregonians in every community in the state know that we need to start investing in our schools. Passing Measure 85 is the first step in a broader conversation about investing in our priorities," Moore said.
Measure 84 would have killed the 10 to 16 percent Oregon estate tax that the state assesses on the value of an estate above a $1 million threshold for individuals and $2 million for couples.
The change was estimated to have cost state government $120 million on average per year once it was fully phased in.
A clause in the measure could also have been interpreted as a tax exemption on capital gains, the nonpartisan Legislative Revenue Office determined.
Defend Oregon spent almost $1.5 million on support for Measure 85, as well as opposition to Measure 79 and Measure 84.
As expected, twin Measures 82 and 83, which would have – respectively – allowed nontribal casinos in Oregon and authorized a specific casino in the Portland suburb of Wood Village, were crushed by voters by about 70 percent to 30 percent, a repeat of 2010.
Backers of the measures, two Canadian investments groups and their two Lake Oswego partners, suspended their campaign in mid-October because of a lack of public support. Despite a $5.6 million advertising campaign for the measures, which stressed the jobs and tax revenues they could create, polls showed the concept struggling to crack 30 percent support.
Opponents led by the Conferated Tribes of Grand Ronde spent $2.7 million. Opposition spokeswoman Cynara Lilly said she was pleased that Oregonians "had again decisively said ... that they don't want to change (gambling in Oregon) from a public good to a source of corporate profits."
Casino supporters "would be remiss if they didn't listen to that."
Another rudderless proposal, Measure 81, which would have banned nontribal commercial gill-netting in the Columbia River, also lost heavily, 34 percent to 64 percent. Recreational fishermen and environmental groups, the measure's main backers, dropped their campaign in September after agreeing to work with Gov. John Kitzhaber on a compromise law.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: registerguard.com
Author: Saul Hubbard
Contact: feedback@registerguard.com
Website: Oregon voters reject legal pot | Tax-related measures 79 and 85 appear to be passing
The measure – which would have legalized marijuana use by adults, letting the state regulate and tax the substance – was losing 44 to 56 percent in incomplete returns, while similar but more restrictive proposals passed in the Evergreen and Centennial states.
But Measure 80's chief backer Paul Stanford was optimistic in defeat Tuesday, saying that the victories of those two better-funded campaigns would ease the path for legalization in Oregon.
"Our problem was that we couldn't get our message out to Oregonians," he said. "Now that we've shown we've come this close, they'll be more national support in the future."
Stanford said the issue will be before the Legislature next year and potentially on the ballot again soon if state lawmakers fail to act.
"When legislators see Oregonians traveling to Washington to buy legal, over-the-counter marijuana there, they'll want to keep those potential tax dollars here," he said.
Oregon voters did approve two tax-related measures Tuesday: Measure 79 constitutionally bans taxes on real estate transfers, which are levied when a property changes hands, and Measure 85 abolishes the corporate 'kicker' tax refund, diverting those dollars to K-12 public education.
Measures 79 and 85 were both passing 59 percent to 41 percent in incomplete late returns.
A third tax proposal, Measure 84, which would have phased out Oregon's inheritance tax over the next four years, was being heavily defeated, 54 percent to 46 percent, in incomplete returns.
The real estate transfer tax ban is largely pre-emptive, because state law already prohibits any other transfer taxes being instituted. But supporters were worried that state lawmakers would reverse course and scrap the ban.
"Our research showed that Oregon voters understood that this was not an appropriate taxing mechanism," Measure 79 spokesman Jon Coney said Tuesday night. "They realized homeowners deserved this kind of protection."
Backers spent over $5 million on the measure, with most of the funds coming from national and Oregon Realtors' associations. Defend Oregon, a coalition largely backed by public employee unions, was the main opponent.
Defend Oregon was successful, however, both in generating support for eliminating the corporate kicker and opposition to doing away with the inheritance tax.
"The big victory on these two measures should send a very clear signal: When it comes to protecting our most important priorities, Oregonians believe that we need adequate funding and that we need a tax system that's fair," Defend Oregon spokesman Scoot Moore said.
Measure 85 will only increase school funding sporadically, as the corporate 'kicker' is issued to businesses only when tax collections come in more than 2 percent above projections.
On the eight occasions the corporate kicker has been triggered since 1980, the total refund averaged $120 million.
"Oregonians in every community in the state know that we need to start investing in our schools. Passing Measure 85 is the first step in a broader conversation about investing in our priorities," Moore said.
Measure 84 would have killed the 10 to 16 percent Oregon estate tax that the state assesses on the value of an estate above a $1 million threshold for individuals and $2 million for couples.
The change was estimated to have cost state government $120 million on average per year once it was fully phased in.
A clause in the measure could also have been interpreted as a tax exemption on capital gains, the nonpartisan Legislative Revenue Office determined.
Defend Oregon spent almost $1.5 million on support for Measure 85, as well as opposition to Measure 79 and Measure 84.
As expected, twin Measures 82 and 83, which would have – respectively – allowed nontribal casinos in Oregon and authorized a specific casino in the Portland suburb of Wood Village, were crushed by voters by about 70 percent to 30 percent, a repeat of 2010.
Backers of the measures, two Canadian investments groups and their two Lake Oswego partners, suspended their campaign in mid-October because of a lack of public support. Despite a $5.6 million advertising campaign for the measures, which stressed the jobs and tax revenues they could create, polls showed the concept struggling to crack 30 percent support.
Opponents led by the Conferated Tribes of Grand Ronde spent $2.7 million. Opposition spokeswoman Cynara Lilly said she was pleased that Oregonians "had again decisively said ... that they don't want to change (gambling in Oregon) from a public good to a source of corporate profits."
Casino supporters "would be remiss if they didn't listen to that."
Another rudderless proposal, Measure 81, which would have banned nontribal commercial gill-netting in the Columbia River, also lost heavily, 34 percent to 64 percent. Recreational fishermen and environmental groups, the measure's main backers, dropped their campaign in September after agreeing to work with Gov. John Kitzhaber on a compromise law.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: registerguard.com
Author: Saul Hubbard
Contact: feedback@registerguard.com
Website: Oregon voters reject legal pot | Tax-related measures 79 and 85 appear to be passing
