Rep. Boshart Davis backs trucker lawsuit over tax abuse

Rep. Boshart Davis Backs Oregon Trucking Association Lawsuit
The Legislature has disregarded the Constitution, failed to rebalance transportation taxes
By Oregon State Representative Shelly Boshart Davis

SALEM, OR – Following the failure of the Legislature to fulfill its Constitutional duty to ensure transportation taxes are “fair and proportionate,” the Oregon Trucking Association (OTA) is suing the state over hundreds of millions in overpaid taxes. The lawsuit alleges that the overpayments violate Article IX, Section 3(a)(3) of the Oregon Constitution.

“As a proud owner of a family-operated trucking business myself, I fully support the Oregon Trucking Association’s lawsuit against the state of Oregon for overpayment of weight mile taxes,” Representative Shelly Boshart Davis (R, Albany) said. “Our trucking businesses have been paying far more than our fair share of highway taxes for too long. By 2025, that number will total half a billion dollars in overpayments. I urge my colleagues in the Legislature to consider future opportunities to resolve this injustice.”

Republican lawmakers previously called for a special session to adjust the taxes. Democrats voted down the special session, with the majority of Senate Democrats failing to register any vote at all.

The Legislature has failed to act on multiple occasions. The Legislature did not take up legislation at the end of the 2023 session following a delayed Highway Cost Allocation Study (HCAS). The Oregon Department of Transportation estimates that freight trucks will overpay their fair share of transportation taxes by $193 million annually for the next two years. Past HCAS reports also show large overpayments by the trucking industry in previous years.