Sign petition to stop $800 beer, wine, tobacco tax

By Taxpayer Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

“Oregon Health Authority is seeking $784 million in new tax money for the 2019-2021 state budget cycle. It includes increasing taxes on beer, wine and cider by 10% …the agency hasn’t determined how the prevention money would be used.”
Malhuer County Enterprise, 10/24/18

You read it correctly. Gov. Kate Brown’s agency has drafted an $800 million tax increase on beer, wine and cider. The package also includes a 200% increase on tobacco products and a brand-new tax on vaping — which people use to quit smoking.

Please download and sign the petition.

The proponents shamelessly admit to reporters that they do not even know what they plan to spend the money on! How can they soak us with $800 million in new grocery taxes and not even have the dignity to tell us what the money will be used for? Outrageous!

Maybe they need the money to bail out the $26 billion government pension debt? Or the $225 million bridge-to-nowhere that was never built? Or the $300 million Cover Oregon website that crashed and was never used? Or the millions of tax dollars that went to criminals who set up fraudulent solar companies?

There is also talk in the State Capitol about a multi-million dollar soda tax.

Imagine a 10% price increase on beer, wine, and soda and a 200% increase on tobacco. It will be painful.

Enough is enough.

Please sign the enclosed petition to stop the $800 million tax on our beer, wine, cider, tobacco, vaping and any new tax on soda drinks.  Download. Print. Sign. Mail back to us or scan it and email back to us a scanned copy at [email protected].

This petition is designed to send a message against new taxes on our grocery products.   Even though there is a draft of the tax, the final legislation on these taxes has not appeared yet and may indeed appear at the very end of session when taxes are ramrodded through the process.   This is the same for the expected $2 billion business tax that lawmakers are working on — but have not revealed.   Since this tax became news Governor Brown has shown reservations on it because of its unpopularity.   This is similar to when she opposed the small business tax (SB 1528 in 2018), then changed her mind by supporting it (and signing it), then changed her mind again by saying she didn’t like it and would support a fix, and then after passing a fix changed her mind again and pledged to undo the fix she just signed. We cannot wait for the real Governor Brown to show up on her tax plan.

We cannot wait until the last moment to oppose these taxes, we need to stand against them right now before they surprise us at the last minute.

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— This petition is an old fashioned statement of of beliefs (like our Declaration of Independence). It is non-binding and you are free to circulate, copy and email this petition to help spread the word.