Butler casts wary eye on Legislature
By Larry Meyer | Argus Observer
Monday, May 21, 2007 10:41 AM PDT
ONTARIO — Rep. Tom Butler, R-Ontario, said he is ready for the current Legislative session to end.
Butler’s ardent enthusiasm to see the current session conclude is based on what he said he sees lawmakers doing down the road — boosting taxes and fees.
“The issue of sales tax is back on the table,” he said. “They (proponents of a sales tax) are saying we have a greater need of a sales tax than we ever have before.”
The tax and fee proposals are serious, Butler said.
“I’m very anxious about this issue. They are going to need $800 million more for all the new programs being proposed,” he said.
Butler conceded the state has more revenue now than in the past, but that should not automatically translate into a spate of new programs.
“We have plenty of dollars,” Butler said. “We don’t have the sense to spend it wisely. We’re not able to say no to new programs.”
Butler said more than 160 proposed new fee increases and 56 new tax boosts are still pending in the Legislature. Those figures, he said, are on top of the 20 percent more taxes received over the last biennium.
“We need to get out of this session,” he said. Also, there is a proposal to allow counties to raise taxes without a vote of the people, which could be a levy on vehicle legislation, he said.
“Taxpayers are not faring well in this assembly,” he said.
A fee Butler said he did support was one to help defray costs for the state arbitrator who may become involved in labor negotiations.
The fee would be paid by all parties in the labor dispute. His only objection was that after agreeing to support the bill, the fee was raised from $50 to $250. Butler’s opinion on House Bill No. 3540 to refer Measure 37 back to the voters is that it is an attempt to take back the property rights that were regained under the measure. Another objectionable proposal, Butler said, is one which would protect the Oregon Trail. The sponsor wants to have a protected easement 100 feet wide on each side of the trail, Butler said, but one of the main problems is that in some places the trail is 25 miles wide.
