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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, May 5, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 21, 2002 Since You Asked Sales tax? No, no no no no no no no no I am wondering why no one talks about the possibility of a sales tax in Oregon to help solve the budgetary problems of our state. It seems such an obvious solution to what seems to be a crisis situation. How can we get our legislators to consider this? — Susan M., Medford You haven’t lived in Oregon very long, have you Susan? Or, if you have, you may harbor more confidence in the spinal rigidity of our state’s lawmakers than they actually possess. While the Legislature could, all by itself, enact a sales tax, lawmakers figured that would prompt a referendum, so they asked the voters for permission. Oregon voters have said no on nine separate occasions over the years. That said, some lawmakers, notably Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland, are talking quite seriously about a sales tax, but one designed with a corresponding cut in income and property taxes to make the overall tax burden the same while making the tax structure less vulnerable to fluctuations in the economy. To have any chance of success at the polls, any sales tax proposal would likely have to have a built-in guarantee that it couldn’t be increased without a vote of the people. As for convincing legislators to consider such a plan, look for contact information on our opinion pages and write, call or e-mail them. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Advertisement s