Businesses raise $5M to fight unions' mega November tax hike

By KGW Portland

July 12, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A business coalition has filed campaign paperwork this week revealing $5.26 million in political donations aimed at fighting Initiative Petition 28, the public unions' massive corporate tax hike proposal on the November ballot.

Defeat The Tax On Oregon Sales lists hundreds of corporate donors opposing the $3 billion-annual tax proposal on Oregon's biggest businesses, including corporate giants such as Nike Inc., Walmart, Comcast, Costco and Macy's.

By comparison, the IP 28 campaign has raised about $450,000 in mostly in-kind donations from the measure's union-backed nonprofit, Our Oregon.

Businesses and labor groups are expected to pour tens of millions of dollars through Election Day into fighting over IP 28, which is the largest such tax proposal in state history.