Oregon Voters Say No to $1,600 Yearly Check

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2024 – Oregon voters decisively rejected a ballot measure in Tuesday's election, that would have given each state resident $1,600 annually by taxing some of the largest corporations operating in the state.

With 78.8% voting against Measure 118, the Oregon Rebate failed to establish the proposed statewide “universal basic income” for every Oregon resident. The $1,600 annual UBI would have been funded by a 3% gross receipts tax on corporations with annual sales exceeding $25 million in Oregon, taxing sales rather than profits.

The Oregon Rebate Campaign specifically took aim at “giant corporations like Comcast.” Other major tech companies, including Google, Intel, and Apple, would have also fallen into the taxed category.

However, tech and telecom companies remained silent on the measure throughout the campaign.

The opposition movement to Measure 118, largely financed by a PAC supported by grocery and retail giants like Kroger, Albertsons-Safeway, and Costco, raised over $16 million — more than 26 times what the Oregon Rebate Campaign PAC raised. The opposition came from businesses that argued that the new tax would force them to raise their prices and hurt consumers. 

The campaign supporting Measure 118 struggled to gain traction even among typically supportive progressive groups in Oregon. It listed less than 10 endorsements on its website, and raised just $637,000 to support the measure, nearly all of which came from wealthy Californians who support universal basic income initiatives.