Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon Republicans are denouncing a recent Democratic campaign mailer that accuses some GOP state House candidates of supporting a sales tax.

The Republican candidates call it a false attack but Democrats defend the claim.

A political action committee controlled by House Democrats mailed a flyer to voters in at least four state House districts.

It accuses the Republican candidate in those races of backing efforts to enact a 30 percent national sales tax.

Under that proposal, the sales tax would replace all federal income taxes. But House Republican leader Bruce Hanna says the GOP candidates that have been the target of the mailings have never supported such an effort.

Bruce Hanna: "This is purely a lie, and it is made up. And there is no factual basis for these claims."

Democrats say the four candidates, all in Portland area districts, are affiliated with the conservative group Americans for Prosperity.

They point to two blog posts on that organizationís website that favor a sales tax. But the head of the Oregon chapter of Americans for Prosperity says the group hasn't taken a position on a national sales tax.