Who We Are

The Taxpayer Association of Oregon is a citizen grassroots non-profit founded in 1999 by Jason Williams and Don McIntire.

We work towards:

lower taxes
government transparency
protecting liberty
exposing government waste, fraud and abuse of our tax dollars.

Don McIntire (right) is famous as the author of Measure 5 the property tax limit measure approved by voters in 1990. Before Measure 5, property taxes had no limit and many seniors were taxed out of their homes. If it wasn’t for Don McIntire’s Measure 5 your property taxes would be 40% higher. Craig Flynn (left), who helped Don gather signatures, is a charter board member of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon.

“Don McIntire…and the initiative system they so skillfully employed, have done more to change how government is paid for in Oregon than all the task forces, legislators and governors of the past 15 years.”

-James Mayer
Oregonian Reporter, 10-9-05

Helped stop statewide tax increases:

Defeated local wage taxes (Salem 2023).

Defeated local gas taxes (Newport 2021, King City 2016).

Jason Williams became first widely known as a key leader who helped defeat the statewide 1% income tax increase Measure 28 (2003).

Launched statewide referendum petition drive to successfully repeal the $600 million income tax surcharge Measure 30 (2004).

Helped stop local taxes:

Defeated local sales taxes (Wood Village 2006, Ontario 2018, Hood River County 2019)

Defeated local cell-phone taxes (Portland 2009, Keizer 2010, Corvallis).

Defeated local income taxes (Lane County 2007, Eugene 2011)

The Taxpayers Association of Oregon has stopped many sales taxes! Photo shows Don McIntire, who led the campaign to defeat the 5% statewide sales tax Measure 1 (1993). McIntire would later join Jason Williams in 1999 to form the Taxpayers Association of Oregon and defeat other sales tax threats like the ones in Wood Village, Ontario, Grants Pass and Josephine County.

Taxpayers Association of Oregon stopped the 10% income tax. Taxpayer Association Director, Jason Williams loads over 100,000 signatures to the State Elections Office for Measure 30. Because of the success of this petition drive your income taxes are now 10% less every single year since 2004.

Taxpayers Association of Oregon defended the people’s Kicker Income Tax Refund for over 25 years. In 2002, we did TV ads criticizing John Kitzhaber on the Kicker. On the recent 2024 Kicker Tax Refund, the average size of the Kicker Refund to taxpayers was over $1,000.

Taxpayers Association of Oregon opposed the 72-cent gas tax (Carbon tax). We remind people that taxes create poverty.

Taxpayers Association of Oregon worked on two different tax spending limits: In 2000, Taxpayers Association of Oregon helped put a tax spending limit measure on the ballot (Measure 8) and then again in 2006 (Measure 48).

Taxpayers Association of Oregon is engaged in citizen activism: After rioters toppled the statue of George Washington in Portland, the Taxpayers Association of Oregon held an American colonial- themed rally to support reinstating Washington’s statue. (right) Taxpayers Association of Oregon Board member Craig Flynn and State Director Jason Williams showed up at Portland City Hall to oppose a city cell phone tax. It was defeated.

Taxpayers Association of Oregon famous Waste Watch Reports. The Taxpayers Association of Oregon is the official archive of government waste examples and government scandals for 25 years. In 2004, we reported on Portland Blazer Scottie Pipen receiving $131,000 in tax subsidies for his farm despite being one of the nation’s most lucrative basketball players.

Three websites net one million views a year. The three websites we are involved with, OregonWatchdog, OregonCatalyst and Oregon Tax News bring in a one million views a year.