Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021
Oregon Business & Industry Statement on Sept. 2021 Economic Forecast
“Employment is rebounding, but is still short of pre-pandemic levels, which makes it clear we are not out of the woods in terms of the pandemic’s impact on individual Oregonians,” said OBI President & CEO Sandra McDonough. “On the other hand, the state of Oregon is hitting record highs in terms of tax collections. While this is good news for state budgets, we cannot lose perspective on the incredible toll the pandemic has had on thousands of Oregon businesses, many of whom are far from recovering from ordered shutdowns and the impact of stay-home orders. The Legislature has plenty of money to provide immediate assistance to those businesses, and they should do so swiftly before more are forced to shut their doors for good.”
“Additionally, during the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers rightly dismissed several proposals for large new tax increases. Businesses still need room to recover, and the last thing they need right now are new costs in the form of higher taxes. We urge state leaders to continue to keep economic recovery at the forefront of their decision making and invest these record resources in projects that will return maximum benefit to all Oregonians.”