Gov. Tina Kotek stayed mum Thursday about her thoughts on Salem’s recently-approved payroll tax, which is currently the target of a petition to refer the measure to voters.
Tag: payroll tax
Petition to bring Salem payroll tax to public vote hits 4,000 signatures, organizers say
Two weeks after a split city council vote, an Oregon business group’s campaign said it has gathered over 4,000 unverified signatures to bring the Salem employee-paid payroll tax to a public vote. Organizers must submit at least 3,986 valid signatures by Aug. 9.
Salem councilors explain their votes for and against the payroll tax
Salem Reporter sent each Salem city councilor a set of questions about their vote on the payroll tax, with topics from the public comment process, their reasoning and the matter of a citywide vote. Here are their responses.
Oregon business group seeks to force public vote on Salem wage tax
Oregon Business & Industry on Friday filed a referendum petition to refer a payroll tax to Salem voters after the city council narrowly approved it July 10.
Here’s what citizens had to say about Salem’s new tax on wages
Salem Reporter gathered a sampling of the over 130 written comments Salem City Councilors received before voting 5-4 Monday night to begin taxing people working within city limits in 2024.
Salem councilors vote to tax worker paychecks after citizens overwhelmingly ask them not to
Councilors in a 5-4 vote approved a new tax on workers in Salem that would cost the average employee about $500 annually starting in July 2024. The tax would bring in about $28 million per year to maintain and expand police and fire staffing, and keep homeless shelters open.
Answers to your questions about Salem’s proposed tax on worker paychecks
Salem City Council will decide on Monday, July 10, whether to impose a new tax on workers within the city — even those who live elsewhere. Salem Reporter breaks down what it means for you, and how to weigh in.
REPORTER’S COLUMN: What I learned from talking to Salemites about a proposed tax on their paychecks
Many attendees who passed Salem Reporter’s booth at the Salem Saturday Market over the weekend paused a good distance away, squinting to read the signs before mouthing “payroll tax?” Some shrugged, some shook their heads and others approached the booth to cast a vote with a sticky note. Our booth[Read More…]
Salem business leaders oppose city plan to tax workers without a vote
The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce has asked that the Salem City Council take a proposed payroll tax to the voters in November, while the statewide chamber opposes the tax entirely.
Fire chief seeks payroll tax to fund 14 firefighters, cut response times
Last year, around a third of Salemites who called 911 had to wait more than five and a half
minutes for help to come. The Salem Fire Department, facing an increasing number of calls, hopes to add staff to improve response times.
