Business groups in Oregon are struggling to find a common position on a proposed increase in corporate taxes.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski suggested about $300 million in additional taxes to fund basic education, health care and other state programs. Oregon reportedly has the highest personal income taxes in the nation, but corporations pay less than 5 percent of the state budget, the smallest share of any state, according to The Oregonian.
The question is whether Republicans, who last month lost control of the legislature for the first time since 1989, are willing to end a 20-year trend of tax cuts. Business groups appear divided on the issue. Nike spokesperson Julia Brim-Edwards told The Oregonian that the company supports a tax increase because it would fund investments to make Oregon a better place to live and work.