Oregon has plenty of tax opportunities without a new sales tax.

Take the Oregon Department of Transportation package that was proposed last year but challenged by a referendum, increasing gas taxes, nearly doubling vehicle registration fees for most vehicles, more than doubling title fees, increasing payroll taxes and vehicle registration fees, and the road usage charge for electric and hybrid cars by 2031.

Then there are property taxes, which go up 3% each year before local levies or bonds are added.

And there are income taxes ranging from 4.75% to 9.9%.

NO to a new sales tax. We are always searching for affordable housing in Oregon. A sales tax would hurt the families in Oregon that are just getting by. It would be another tax that they can’t afford.

Try lowering property taxes or state income taxes first.

Try a good budget process and spend what you need, not what you want. Smaller government is not all bad. When private businesses run short of funding, they find a way to get smaller.

Jack Minter
Eugene