After another session in which some lawmakers tried again — and failed again — to raise the $1 million threshold at which Oregon’s estate tax kicks in, state Rep. Kevin Mannix (R-Salem) and co-petitioner Michelle Mhoon have filed a ballot initiative to do away with the tax completely.
Initiative Petition 51, the “End the Death Tax Act,” would do away with the tax for Oregonians who die after Jan. 1, 2027. In their July 15 filing, Mannix and Mhoon aim to place the initiative on the 2026 ballot.
The issue has surfaced repeatedly in Salem, in part because Oregon is one of only a dozen states that levies an estate tax. Lawmakers have made certain changes over the years to benefit families who own natural resources businesses, but the tax for individuals has remained unchanged for decades…