Small business and taxpayers have this in common: they both hate corporate welfare which wastes taxpayer dollars on big corporations.
One of the big reasons why politicians raise taxes on small businesses is to help fund lost revenue from government give-a-ways to big corporations.
Tax money for luxury hotels: Over $15 million taxpayer dollars and resources were given to Hyatt hotel chain to build a private luxury hotel next to the Oregon Convention Center. Government officials rejected hotel companies offering to build without government subsidies but instead to chose a hotel demanding taxpayer subsides. (see Oregonian Jun 26, 2017,Senate Bill 927 in 2015 Legislature)
Tax money to Hollywood film businesses: Over $20 million in taxpayer dollars is spent on Hollywood type film companies that do film shoots in Oregon. The Oregonian noted the critics “the incentives are also under attack as wasteful and a poor way to allocate state money. Critics also say they unfairly benefit the rich and are an unproven way to spur economic development. “ Oregonian March 31, 2011
Tax money to bankrupt companies: Nearly a billion dollars have been spent on the scandal ridden BETC tax credit to green energy companies. Oregon state government handed out millions with little oversight and careless disregard on whom they gave it to. Oregonian July 2, 2014
“The tax credits were the most generous subsidies in the nation. Along with state renewable energy mandates, they helped fuel a green energy bonanza in Oregon. …Only a year after the subsidies were increased, the cost mushroomed beyond expectations as developers, entrepreneurs and existing businesses flocked to take advantage of them. …An investigation by The Oregonian found that state employees originally lowballed projected cost of the program. But cost was only one problem. Loose rules and lax administration of the program meant that credits were issued to projects that quickly went bankrupt or never operated, to projects that would have been built without the credits, and to developers who gamed the state’s loose rules to qualify for multiple credits.The Legislature tried time and again to rein in exploding liabilities and stop blatant abuses of the program. Lawmakers first reduced what they saw as unnecessary incentives to lure large wind farms, and eventually killed the program altogether as controversy mounted over its administration.Nonetheless, state taxpayers are stuck with a long hangover of outstanding credits.”
Tax money for failed consultants: The state of Oregon mis-spent $12 million in over-payments for consultants to study a bridge that was never built. The Columbian newspaper reports April 15, 2014
“An audit of the Columbia River Crossing found $17 million in excess or questionable spending, including larger-than-usual profit markups to project consultants and work that wasn’t authorized by contract in advance….The biggest chunk of questionable expenses was $12.3 million that went to firms with undisclosed overhead and profit markups, according to the report.”