HB 3260: Hidden sales tax in health care bill?

This is a Taxpayer Alert over Hb 3260. Capitol watchers are concerned that Hb 3260 may look like an innocent health care study bill — yet it may be a kickstart to a sales tax or a health care tax of some sort. HB 3260 requires the state to conduct a study on how finance health care in Oregon. Previously, lawmakers have floated the idea of using health care as the best chance at selling a sales to the voters who have rejected it nine times (see Senate Bill 972 from 2011). The 2011 sales tax for health acre bill has some of the same sponsors as the 2012 bill (but no mention of that word sales tax). Also, several lawmakers have ANOTHER sales tax bill but not related to health care.   When government studies something they are often, in effect, laying the biased groundwork to launch a new tax or burdensome regulation.

When Obama talked about health care reform — we didn’t get much reform — instead we got 20 taxes!!!!! (See tax list here). Some of the Obamacare taxes hit medical devices, medicine companies and health insurance — which begged the question how is health care costs supposed to go down if you raise taxes on health care?