3 bill hearings!! CAT tax. tire tax. flavor Ban.

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

There are three important bill hearings this week:

#1 THREE BILLS TO ** CUT ** CORPORATE ACTIVITIES TAX

SB 381, SB 440, Sb 490 to reduce Corporate Activities tax (CAT Tax) to have hearing  on 03/03/2025 8:00 AM , HR A , Senate Finance and Revenue Committee.   Because the CAT Tax taxes revenue (instead of profits), it has hit the slim-profit margin industries like health care, grocery stores and restaurants very hard.   Because taxing gross revenue instead of profits is such a destructive tax, only four other states have them

Please SUPPORT these bills to CUT the CAT tax.

— SB 381 Increases the exempt amount and the filing threshold for purposes of the corporate activity tax.
— SB 440 Increases the exempt amount and the filing threshold for purposes of the corporate activity tax as applicable to home-building contracts.
— SB 490 Increases the exempt amount and the filing threshold for purposes of the corporate activity tax.

To submit testimony online click the bill# ((SB 381, SB 440,  SB 490), then the submit testify tab.

#2. HEARING on 4% TIRE TAX

There is a hearing for HB 3362 this Tuesday March 4th in Transportation with subsequent referral to Ways and Means Committee. HB 3362 would tax everyone’s tire 4% to pay for many unrelated activities like rail transit — a transportation mode in deep decline. It would pay for wildlife passages on roads. Why have the nation’s 10th highest gas tax if you now have to pass huge tire taxes? CLICK HERE TO TESTIFY – look for submit Testify tab

#3. HEARING ON FLAVOR BAN

SB 702 hearing 03/04/2025 1:00 PM , HR E in Early Childhood and Behavioral Health.  SB 702 would ban flavored nicotine products like vaping, hookahs and cigarettes and has a Salem Capitol hearing on Tues. March 4th. A SB 702 flavor ban would cause a big drop in tobacco tax revenue. One estimate puts it at nearly $200 million in tobacco tax health care dollars that would be lost. That means the Oregon Health department would look to raise more taxes and fees to make up for the lost $100 million revenue if SB 702 passed. In 2023, the Oregon Health Department witnessed 77 fee increases totaling $17 million.   At this rate, the Oregon Health Department would need to raise 385 fees to make up the difference of a $100 million loss of healthcare dollars. Flavor bans like SB 702 will boost the black market.  One estimate put the current number of illegal sales of tobacco products at 1 of 4 of all sales.   That means Oregon would lose much of the $100 million in current health care tax dollars to criminal smugglers. Also, people find that vaping products are the #1 way that they are able to quit cigarette smoking. Please submit an online testimony at the State Capitol here and click the “register to testify” tab on top.

Remember, if the politicians ban these products today; liquor, bill, wine, soda drinks will be next.

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