Oregon Public Broadcasting

A pair of tax hikes are likely headed for the ballot in Oregon.  Opponents of the increases beat Friday's deadline to submit signatures in an effort to overturn the tax measures.  Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

Opponents of two tax increases displayed their signatures at a rally in front of the Secretary of State's office.

At a rally in front of the Secretary of State's office, opponents of the tax increases displayed more than a dozen boxes that they said contained twice as many signatures as needed. 

Pat McCormick is a spokesman for Oregonians Against Job-Killing Taxes, the business group that bankrolled the signature gathering effort. 

He says submitting 125,000-plus names was about more than simply meeting a pre-determined threshold.

Pat McCormick:  "We're assuring ourselves that these measures will in fact be on the ballot, but we are also I think demonstrating the depths of concerns that Oregonians have about these taxes."

The Oregon Legislature passed the tax hikes in June to help stave off deeper cuts to education, public safety and human services.

If the Secretary of State's office determines that enough of the signatures are valid, Oregon voters will have the chance to weigh in this coming January.