Measure 118
Increases business gross receipt taxes to fund payments to all Oregon residents, including non-citizens
Measure 118
Increases business gross receipt taxes to fund payments to all Oregon residents, including non-citizens
There are two parts to this measure. The 1st is the provision of an annual check to all Oregon residents of around $1600. The second is the funding mechanism to pay for this. It is essentially a sales tax on all business transactions. It is not a tax on profits but on the simple transaction itself.
This establishes what some refer to as a UBI (universal basic income.) This is the dream of all socialists and statists – dependence on civil government rather than the results of our labor. It is a de-motivator to work. But according to Genesis 1 and 2 we are created to work and enjoy the blessings of our labor, both material and relational. In 2 Thes. 3:10, our Savior tells us that if a man won’t work, neither should he eat. While there is a hint here of the Lord’s Supper, it repeats a theme found throughout the Bible – personal responsibility. Proverbs tells us that hunger is God’s gracious message to the slothful that he needs to work. So, this Measure is harmful to its intended beneficiaries. Also consider the effect of this on drug addicts, who would likely use the extra money to buy more drugs and death.
The funding for this is also very harmful. It would ramp up yet more inflation. Businesses pass on costs or they go out of business. By the time you buy a loaf of bread, this Measure would tax that bread multiple times, such as fuel for equipment and transportation, electricity, equipment purchases and leases, equipment maintenance, seed purchases, packaging, etc.. Measure 118 attacks production and increases consumption, the classic route to inflation. Please vote No on Measure 118.
