Monique DeSpain: ‘No’ to ECEF, business-killing taxes

from Monique For Congress and staff reports

Monique DeSpain, the Republican candidate for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, on Aug. 25 announced her opposition to the Eugene Clean Energy Fund measure on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The proposal threatens local jobs and the employers who provide them, she said, at a moment when Oregon families can least afford it.

The measure, which qualified for the ballot Aug. 5 after organizers submitted more than 14,000 signatures, would impose a 2% fee on the gross profits of large retailers and banks doing business in Eugene.

The tax specifically impacts companies with more than $1 billion in national profits and more than $500,000 in profits from their Eugene operations.

Backers project the fee would generate roughly $15 million a year for climate and green-jobs programs, modeled on a similar fund Portland voters approved in 2018.

DeSpain said that during a recent visit with a Eugene-area business, she heard directly from owners who are already weighing whether the city is still a place they can afford to grow — or stay.

“Local business owners continue to tell me they’re rethinking their future in Eugene,” DeSpain said. “That’s not a talking point. These are real employers, with real employees, telling me they may have to make a hard choice. A tax targeted at large businesses can easily pass down to smaller businesses with higher cost for goods and services.

“Eugene families are already struggling with the cost of living, and this measure risks the very jobs that keep them afloat. I urge Eugene residents to vote no on this job-killing tax.”

DeSpain noted that while the fee wouldn’t take effect until January 2029, the businesses it targets are making decisions about hiring, expansion, and location today and a new cost baked into Eugene’s business climate makes the city a harder sell compared to neighboring communities.

“Supporters love holding up Portland as their success story. Take a real look at what’s happening there,” DeSpain said. “Downtown high-rises sitting nearly 40% empty in what is widely described as an economic doom loop. Thousands more people are living unsheltered on the streets than just a few years ago. That is not a model of a healthy, thriving city — that is a warning.

“Portland’s experiment is a failure, and Eugene shouldn’t repeat it. Want to improve our environment quickly and without additional tax burdens? Let’s begin with managing our federal forests! Importing Portland’s problems along with its tax code is absurd and Eugene should stand up and reject this effort at the ballot.”

DeSpain is calling on Eugene voters to reject the measure in November and is inviting local business owners, whether or not they’ve been following the election, to share how the proposal would affect their operations by contacting her.

“This election will decide whether Eugene stays open for business,” DeSpain said. “I want to hear from every employer this will touch, because their voice belongs in this discussion just as much as the activists who put it on the ballot.”

Monique DeSpain is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, attorney, and mother running for Congress in Oregon’s 4th District. After 30 years of military service, she has dedicated herself to public service in Oregon, focusing on restoring a prosperous economy, addressing the state’s affordability crisis, and reducing the regulatory and tax burden on small businesses and working families. Learn more at MoniqueForCongress.com.