Oregon Measure 66 - An Open Letter to EngineWorks
This month, in the midst of our great nation’s most challenging economic times, the state of Oregon is attempting to dramatically INCREASE income taxes on both its citizens and its revenue generators. Here is an open letter sent to all employees at EngineWorks that identifies the potential impact of this ill-conceived ballot measure:
Attn: Team EngineWorks
This e-mail is to encourage you to choose to exercise your right to vote on Oregon Ballot Measure 66 taking place on January 26, 2010.
Oregon Measure 66 will increase the amount of money forcibly extracted by the State from hard-working individuals such as our team members at EngineWorks. Currently, the Government withholds your Federal income tax, Oregon state income tax, Social Security Tax, Medicare tax, and Workers Benefit Assessment tax from your paycheck every month.
Currently, Oregon’s personal income tax ranks the HIGHEST among ALL STATES levying an individual income tax. Oregon’s 2006 individual income tax collections were $1,513 per person, which ranks 5th highest nationally.
In 2009, the average American worked more than four (4) months to earn enough money to pay their taxes. Since all of this pay is given to someone who did not earn it, you are in essence being forced to work with no personal gain for more than a third of the year.
Even if none of our team members is currently in the tax bracket targeted in Oregon Measure 66, don’t you hope someday you will be? (I hope this for all of our team members.) At that time, I am confident you will desire to keep more of what you earn (as you should now).
Additionally, in today’s mobile economy, individuals, small businesses, and top-producing corporations have the ability to relocate to states and countries that offer the most favorable business conditions.
Measure 66, by INCREASING the HIGHEST state income tax rate in the county, will retard the performance of our state, and ultimately hurt Oregon families and companies.
Therefore, I once again encourage you to choose to vote on Oregon Measure 67.
Thanks.
(Source: http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/52.html)
“The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.” – Albert Einstein, physicist
– Sean
_______________________________________
Sean J. McMahon
President
sean@engineworks.com