Would you like a $1,600 rebate from state government? For some, that is the basic question of Measure 118, which Oregonians will be voting on in the November election.

But Oregonians also know to ask more questions.

We had the opportunity to speak with Antonio Gisbert on Monday, one of the chief petitioners of the measure. We didn’t ask him about every issue that has come up. For instance, opponents of the measure believe it will be inflationary, increasing prices. Opponents say the tax may pyramid — goods would be taxed multiple times as they move through stages of production. We didn’t get to those issues, but we did hit some others.

If passed, Measure 118 would increase state corporate taxes and distribute the increased revenue to Oregon residents. That would mean every Oregon resident would get an estimated $1,600 in the first year of the rebate. An individual’s income level does not matter. Their age does not matter. The money would come from a new tax on companies that have more than $25 million in sales in Oregon. They would have to pay a tax of 3% on those sales.

Gisbert told us the creators of the measure decided to make everyone eligible for a few reasons. He said it was a belief that “all Oregonians are deserving of the good things that the state of Oregon provides.” They believed the rebate should be like the right to public education.

If the rebate was means tested, or only given based on a person’s income, that would require government energy and expense.

“If you come at it with a scarcity mentality, there are only so many dollars to go around, it makes sense to give people money who need it the most,” he said. But he added it’s not going to reduce the rebate much at all to give it to everyone.

The only requirement to be eligible for the rebate is to live in the state for 200 days in the previous calendar year. We asked about college students.

“If you are a student (at a college), you are going to come to Oregon to study, you are going to live in Oregon for about four years,” Gisbert said. “That person is going to all these big box stores and paying for their groceries and whatever things they need and so this person is contributing to the economy in the same way. So they have the same right to benefit from the program.”

One of the issues raised by Oregon’s Legislative Revenue Office is the measure’s estimated impact on the general fund budget. The analysis determined that the way the measure is written it will have the overall impact of reducing the general fund. Basically, some revenue that goes to K-12 education and other important programs would go instead to pay the rebates. The state says the net cash flow to the state would be greater than a negative $1 billion in fiscal year 2025.

Gisbert does not agree. “Absolutely not,” he said.

“The program is designed to be revenue neutral to the state in year one,” he added. “And we are committed to working with the Legislature and the relevant state agencies in calendar year 2025, in that long session, in rulemaking, that the Oregon rebate is implemented as intended.”

You may disagree and Gisbert may disagree, but that sounds to us like a tacit admission that the measure has flaws as written. It also assumes the Legislature will and can “fix” it.

One of the arguments on the website for supporters of the measure is that it will reduce poverty. It says “Measure 118 will decrease the poverty rate in Oregon by 36%.” Intuitively, that makes some sense — more families will have more money. When we clicked on the link for the connected website and ran the simulation, we got a decline in the poverty rate by 23.5% in 2025. It’s also not easy to see on the website the assumptions used in the simulation’s modeling and the reasons to trust it, other than the impressive-looking resumes of the people who worked on it. Gisbert offered to facilitate a conversation between us and the people who run the website. We hope to do so.

When people get a government windfall or rebate, they do different things with it. Some save. Some pay off debt. Some buy things their families need. Some may spend it on things that others would say they shouldn’t.

Gisbert said he trusts Oregonians to spend the money as they see fit. And he sees the money is put to better use when people spend it in their local economies rather than going out of state into the profit pockets of big corporations.

Oregonians will be voting on Measure 118 as they do on any issue: with imperfect information. The measure comes with green flags — $1,600 more in the hands of people will be a waving green flag for many. It also comes with yellow or red flags – concerns about what it will do to the economy, concerns about its impact on the state budget.

Here is a link from backers of the measure: yesonmeasure118.com.

Here is a link from opponents: noonmeasure118.com.