Pair seek to eliminate kicker checks to corporations

They aim to get their initiative on the ballot in 2010

STEVE LAW

Read the full article at the Statesman Journal

December 12, 2007

Fresh after the state disbursed a record $1.07 billion in personal "kicker" tax rebates, a pair of activists want to end future rebates for corporations.

Sal Peralta and Travis Diskin said they're introducing a ballot initiative to amend the Oregon Constitution and eliminate corporate kickers.

Their initiative would not tamper with individual personal tax kickers.

They argue that the bulk of the corporate rebates get sent to out-of-state companies. Although their measure won't specify where the money should go, they say it could be better used to build up state reserves or spent on higher education, senior services and other priorities.

The catch: Peralta said it's getting too late to start an initiative for the 2008 ballot, because legal challenges can delay signature-gathering. Instead, the pair will start working on a measure for 2010, the next year when initiatives come up for a statewide vote.

"We're going to put this on the ballot, unless the Legislature takes some action in 2008 or 2009," Peralta said.

Peralta ran for the Oregon House in 2006 as a Democrat, nearly upsetting incumbent Rep. Donna Nelson, R-McMinnville, in the heavily Republican District 24, which includes Yamhill County and a slice of Polk County near Sheridan.

Both men worked on the 2008 U.S. Senate campaign of John Frohnmayer, who's running on the Independent Party ticket.

Lawmakers and Gov. Ted Kulongoski spoke of eliminating corporate kickers in the 2007 legislative session. However, a deal was struck with business leaders to cancel most of the 2007 corporate kickers and put $319 million instead into the new Oregon Rainy Day Fund.

"That's fine, but it's not the long-term solution that Oregonians need," Peralta said.