Tag: corporate activity tax

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15-25 Oregon’s HB2025 Tax Hike: Why Businesses Are Fleeing and How to Stop It

15-25 Oregon’s HB2025 Tax Hike: Why Businesses Are Fleeing and How to Stop It

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Show 15-25 Summary: While the federal government and other states are busy improving the business climate by cutting spending and taxes. Oregon Democrats are busy going the opposite direction. Oregon already has an unwelcome, punitive business environment. But elected Democrats are finding inventive new ways to make it even worse. They want to pass the largest tax increase in Oregon’s history, which will hit not just businesses everyday Oregonians and their families. You’ll be ready to vote after this show.

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Air Dates: June 21st & 22nd, 2025 | Guest: State Representative Ed Diehl 

This Week – Democrats Burning Oregon Down to Rule Over the Ashes

A general rule in life is, if you’re in a hole, stop digging. Not for Oregon’s democrats. Oregon has among the worst business environments in the nation. Ranking near the bottom in many key areas and near the top in things like tax burden and regulations. While other states are changing their taxes and cutting spending and regulations, Oregon Democrats are tripling down to chase businesses away.

And we’re talking major businesses, mid-size businesses, and mom-and-pop businesses. Dutch Bros (Oregon’s second most valuable company) is moving its headquarters out of Oregon. As is Tektronix — which had been one of Oregon’s best home-grown success stories. They simply cannot afford to stay in Oregon.

But it’s not just taxes and fees and regulations. It’s the overall climate. And we don’t mean the weather. Not only are businesses being punished for being here. Oregon ranks at or near the bottom in its schools. Dead last ion 4th grade reading and math scores. Second to dead last in 8th grade scores.

Given all that (and it’s just tip of the iceberg) what else could Oregon Democrats possibly do to make this situation worse?

Funny you should ask.

Democrats: We’ve Reached Bottom, Let’s Dig Deeper

Yes. If there’s a way to make the situation worse, Oregon’s elected Democrats will find a way. And it’s the largest tax increase in state history. Even larger than the horrid Corporate Activity Tax in 2021. Which punishes business’s sales, not its profits. You can lose money in Oregon and still be taxed. For the “privilege” of doing business here.

Don’t be silent! Visit NoTaxOR.com to easily send a letter to your representative and senator and demand they stop the insanity of HB2025.

House Republican Caucus press release: Democrats push largest tax increase in Oregon history
Press release: largest tax increase ever (click for full size)

We welcome back Representative Ed Diehl (HD-17) to talk about what’s been happening in Oregon’s disastrous 2025 legislative session. The worst being HB2025, the transportation bill. It will raise at least $15.5 billion over 10 years.  Unless every Oregonian family and business just packs up and leaves.

Maybe that’s Democrats’ goal?

There is some good news. The carbon cap and trade scheme we discussed two weeks ago (Show 15-23, Democrats Assisting Oregon’s Suicide — with Republicans’ Help) is not in HB2025. The three republicans found some common sense again—thank you, I Spy Radio listeners for applying the heat!—and pulled their support.  Make no mistake. That is a major victory.

We also talk with Ed about what will it finally take for everyday Democrats to connect their vote to the ruin that elected Democrats are causing. Can anything? Or are they too willing to die on Woke Hill? Is this a step too far, even for Oregon Democrat voters? Finally?

Maybe. But with Judicial Watch’s voter roll lawsuit against the State of Oregon, along with additional federal scrutiny, that might be changing.

Tune in. You’ll be ready to vote after this show.

Want to know what really happened at the Judicial Watch hearing in Eugene? You can read Mark Anderson’s take on the hearing on this Facebook post. And you can read how the Oregonian got it wrong and mischaracterized what happened on this Facebook post.

Show 15-25 Addendum

Note 1: After our show, Democrat leadership pulled a dirty trick. Senate President, Rob Wagner, yanked Senator Mark Meeks, off his committee because he was against HB2025, and claimed Meek’s seat for himself to pass the bill out of committee. Democrats hate democracy. Here’s one of their leaders not liking how a Democrat would vote so he yanked him to prevent him from voting. Really? That’s how desperate Oregon Democrats are to raise taxes on Oregonians.

Note 2: during the show, host Mark Anderson got his elected positions flipped, referring to Meeks as a representative and Paul Evans as a senator. Those should be vice versa. (He hangs his head in shame.)

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Links/Articles Mentioned

  • Visit NoTaxOregon.com (aka NoTaxOR.com) to easily send a letter to your representative and senator to demand they stop the insanity of HB2025.
  • Democratic Oregon House members celebrate Black drag performers, as nearly all Republicans boycott (OregonLive, June 19, 2025)
  • Transportation tax: Amendments, cancelled work sessions (Oregon Catalyst, June 20, 2025)
  • Billion $$ transportation tax hike would be rejected by voters (Oregon catalyst, June 17, 2025)
    • Democrat Representative John Lively acknowledged that Democrats’ billion-dollar-per-year transportation tax package would likely fail if put to Oregon voters
  • Ski resorts scramble after major insurer leaves Oregon (OregonLive, June 17, 2025)
  • As Congress struggles to cut spending, states expose Medicaid fraud on steroids (Just the News, June 18, 2025)
  • That Business Survey: Other states are trying to lure Oregon businesses away. A recent study says it’s working (KGW, May 13, 2025)
  • California’s Medicaid shell game steals from U.S. taxpayers and spends proceeds on illegal aliens. Laundering $4 billion/year for free healthcare for Illegals. (Citizen Free Press, May 18, 2025)
  • Oregon Dumps KNOWiNK TotalVote System Four Years Into Contract (Gateway Pundit, June 3, 2025)
    • KNOWiNK, now two years behind schedule to update Oregon’s voting system, ORVIS, and nearly $1 Million dollars over budget, forced Oregon to revert to using its highly unreliable and out of date voter registration system for the 2024 elections, when Oregon’s democrats won super majority
  • Can Any States Using KNOWiNK (Gateway Pundit, Jan 17, 2024)
  • President Trump Calls for Special Prosecutor to Investigate 2020 Election Fraud (The Gateway Pundit, June 20, 2025)

Related

  • Senate President Boots Dissident Senator Off Transportation Committee, Appoints Himself in Bid to Save Bill (Willamette Week, June 202, 2025)
  • ODOT Explains Billion-Dollar Budget Blunder (WWeek, Feb 26, 2025)
  • Controversial Cap and Trade Policy Reemerges (WWeek, May 22, 2025)
  • Oregon moves closer to law requiring carbon neutral public retirement plan (Capital Chronicle, June 16, 2025)* House Bill 2081, a bill to codify Oregon State Treasury’s 2023 “Net-Zero” plan into law, passed the Oregon Senate on Monday June 16th in an 18 to 10 vote with Republican Dick Anderson, voting with Democrats.
  • Oregon May revenue forecast warns “growth recession” ahead (Oregon Catalyst, May 14, 2025)
  • Who let the DOGE out? “Multnomah County Halts Funding for Housing Provider After Fight Over Billing Practices” (Willamette Week, June 17, 2025)
Oregon Democrats’ Path to Destruction

Oregon Democrats’ Path to Destruction

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Show Summary: Oregon Democrats aren’t exactly shy about overspending taxpayer dollars. Indeed, they seem quite proud of the devastating 29% tax increase they are in the middle of passing in 2019. So why do they want to take away voters’ ability to fight back?

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of November, 2018
I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of Nov 2018. Click for full-size map.

Five Different Times, on Seven Different Stations. Listen anywhere! All stations stream live!

Saturdays
10a – 11a: KFIR 720AM (entire Willamette Valley) | Direct Link to KFIR Live Stream
11a – noon: KLBM 1450AM (Union County) | Direct Link to KLBM Live Stream
11a – noon: KBKR 1490AM (Baker County) | Direct Link to SuperTalk Live Stream
7p – 8p: KWRO 630AM (Oregon Coast & Southeastern Oregon) | Direct Link to KWRO Live Stream

Sundays
8a – 9a: KWVR 1340AM (Wallowa County) | Direct Link: KWVR Live Stream
7p – 8p: KAJO 1270AM or 99.7FM (Grants Pass/Medford) | Direct Link: KAJO Live Stream

Air Dates: May 25 & 26, 2019 | Jeff Kropf

This Week:  There are taxes and then there are extinction-level taxes. Because Oregon Democrats seems to be lurching down the path of destruction — unless they can be pulled back from the brink.

Oregon Democrats: You have too much of your money

The Far-Left Oregon Democrats seems to revel in their super-majority ability to create taxes on a whim. With no chance from the Republicans to be able to stop them. Worse, they seem to take great joy in thumbing their noses at the everyday Oregonians by mislabeling taxes and working hard to take away Oregonians’ ability to stand up in protest.

There is a lot under discussion this week on I Spy Radio. While we know it’s Memorial Day, this is exactly why all those sacrifices were made. So we can fight the battle on the Home Front.

Oregon Democrats: New and Artful Taxes

Democrats are finding new and creative ways to layer taxes on top of other taxes—all while saying but this is just a little percentage and won’t add up to much. Except, when you add all the layers together they add up to a lot.

For example, take the “tiny” .57% tax the Democrat supermajority just passed—the Corporate Activities Tax (more accurately, the Gross Sales Tax). However, this tiny unnoticeable tax (HB3427) will raise $2 billion in new taxes. Most importantly, this bill taxes the gross sales, not net profits. (Yes, this is a sales tax.) In other words, if your low-margin business spends $95 to make a product and you sell it for $100, you will be taxed on the full $100, not your $5 in profit.

Most importantly, that “tiny tax” is on top of any other taxes you’re already paying?

Remember: this gross receipts tax / shadow sales tax is a repeat of a ballot initiative Oregon voters rejected just two years ago. Pesky voters! You don’t get to decide. Oregon Democrats know better.

A Whopping 29% Increase in Taxes

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But that’s just the beginning. In addition to the Gross Receipts Tax, here are a few of the tax hikes the Far-Left are supporting and are likely to pass:

  • Family Leave $1.5 billion
  • Carbon Tax $1.1 billion (at a minimum!)
  • Employee Assessment Tax $500 million
  • Medicaid Tax $335 million
  • Small Business Tax $130 million
  • Kicker Cut $108 million

All told, that is $5.673 billion in new taxes. Counted against the General Fund, that is a tax increase of almost 29%. Twenty-nine percent.

What’s even a more difficult to stomach is not a moment’s pause to even consider cutting spending. When is enough, enough?

Oregon Democrats Want to Silence Ballot Initiatives

And while the Far Left wants to cut the Kicker Tax and keep $108 million of it for government, here’s another kicker: they want make it harder for Oregonians to bring ballot initiatives to the voters. Enough is enough.

It’s time for action. We talk with Jeff Kropf, former Oregon legislator and current head of Oregon Capital Watch Foundation (OCWF.org.) about these staggering new taxes and a potential challenge to the Gross Receipts Tax.

Again. Because Oregon voters defeated this same tax just two years ago. But we can’t stop fighting. If we do, and if the Democrats in Salem get their way, this may truly be the last chance we have.

Tune in this week to hear what’s coming and what to do about it.

Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—the podcast version will be right here after the show airs.

Links Mentioned

  • Jeff’s group is Oregon Capitol Watch Foundation, which can be found at ocwf.org.
  • No word as of our show airing on the ballot initiative. If you want to be involved or to get updates, you can email Jeff at jkropf@wvi.com
  • While you’re at it, join our email list to be alerted to upcoming shows and more. Never miss an I Spy Radio Show!
  • As Critics of the New Corporate Tax Increase Ponder Referring It to Voters, Democrats Seek to Hinder Signature Gathering (Willamette Week, May 20, 2019)

Additional Links & Info