I have heard many arguments for voting against Oregon Ballot Measure 66.  Among these are the perceived unfairness of the tax for those who have a taxable income of over $125,000 or $250,000 (whether filing single or jointly), as they are the ones who will see a small increase in their taxes.  Certainly, these are the people who will be bearing most of the burden of this additional tax.

We have a progressive tax system.  This means that those with a greater means to pay the tax will pay more, and those who need every dime of their income to survive will pay the least, as a percentage of their respective incomes.  Is this fair?  Let me quote one source:

1As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3“I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
– Luke 21:1-4

Even Jesus understood that a couple of pennies might have meant the difference between eating or not to the very poor, while the rich would be expected to contribute a greater percentage of their income to the community.  In our world, of course, most of us live somewhere in between.  However, I generally do not see it as a particular problem that those with greater means contribute more than those with less to live on.

The amount of tax that we are talking about, while they are certainly a material amount, are really not an incredible sum, either.  This is true, especially if we consider the public services that we will continue to benefit from if we support them.

Please vote YES on Oregon Ballot Measure 66.

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