FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 3, 2024

Email:  Press@NOonMeasure118.com

A coalition of Oregon’s most prominent labor unions, social justice advocates, advocates for seniors, and responsible government organizations are united in opposition to Measure 118. Citing concerns over rising prices for low-income Oregonians and the potential loss of critical state and local funding, these groups urge Oregonians to vote NO on Measure 118 on a new website, OregoniansOppose118.com.

Among the many organizations that oppose Measure 118 are the Oregon Education Association, Oregon AFL-CIO, Oregon AFSCME, SEIU Oregon, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the League of Women Voters of Oregon, the Coalition of Communities of Color, the Oregon State Fire Fighters Council and Tax Fairness Oregon.

Measure 118 would enact a $6.8 Billion annual tax on sales. The tax would increase the cost of just about everything Oregonians buy, including food, medicine and clothing. This regressive tax would be felt most acutely by Oregon’s lowest-income people.

It also would blow an enormous hole in the state budget, which funds education, public safety and other critical programs.

Here’s what some of them have to say about this costly tax on sales:

“Measure 118 will hurt firefighters and other frontline workers by reducing available public safety funds in state, county and municipal budgets.” – Oregon State Fire Fighters Council

“We oppose Measure 118 because, despite increasing taxes by almost $7 billion, not a single dime is allocated to support teachers, classrooms or students. Worse, the Legislative Revenue Office says it will lead to over $1 billion in cuts in state general fund revenue in the first biennium alone – undercutting Oregon’s safety net and hurting our most vulnerable citizens.” – Oregon Education Association

“Measure 118 would divert vitally needed funds from the state’s general fund, limiting access to resources that are vital to our communities, particularly communities of color who have been under-resourced. Measure 118 runs counter to our work to build he capacity of communities of color and will make it more difficult to achieve justice and equity goals.” – Coalition of Communities of Color

“Democratic and Labor values prioritize policies that will help working families. By raising prices, eliminating jobs, cutting wages and slashing the state general fund, Measure 118 will hurt not help Oregon working families. ” – Donna Nyberg, chair, Democratic Party of Oregon Labor Caucus 

“Measure 118 is poorly designed. Its enactment would likely trigger unintended, damaging consequences. It would reduce available funding for schools, public safety and other essential services; it would send rebates to people who don’t need them while making it harder to address existing crises. Measure 118 would do more harm than good.” – Oregon Center for Public Policy

“Measure 118 will divert critical resources away from public safety, healthcare, and education to create a new handout that would even go to the wealthiest Oregonians. Reducing the state budget by $1 Billion to fund this risky social experiment is a terrible deal for Oregon and will endanger critical state services that support our most vulnerable communities and help keep our state moving forward.” – NW Oregon Labor Council

Go here to learn more about the unions and social justice organizations opposing Measure 118.