LFS, I'll have to keep reading. The same site currently lists Oregon as 11th best for state business tax climate http://taxfoundation.org/article/2016-state-business-tax-climate-index which includes a wider spectrum of taxes that affect businesses. 

As a side note, it is interesting that current gross receipt tax states are Washington, Texas, Nevada, Delaware, and Ohio. That is a pretty diverse group and I wonder what links them together with this sort of tax?

I do think it is a problem to focus so much of the tax revenue on a small set of companies. I understand this is part of the strategy to target non-local entities but it also seems unbalanced. The rate is too high as well, and of course a tax on revenue disproportionately harms certain types of low-margin businesses. I think the justification for revenue is that companies currently evade taxes (legally) by manipulating "profit". My ideal? A luxury goods sales tax... but not enough revenue in that.