Night before tire tax hearing … details withheld from public

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Politicians say they want more people to be involved, yet they process feels like a slammed door in our face.

It is the night before the big hearing on the tire tax bill (Hb 3362) and there is no Fiscal Impact Statement, Revenue Impact Statement or Official Staff Measure summary available to explain the 7-page bill.  No idea if this tax is going to raise a million tax dollars or a 100 million tax dollars.

How are everyday moms and pops supposed to know about a bill and whether they wish to share their opinion if the key facts of the bill are not made public until the day of the hearing?

Sometimes these bills are submitted by anonymous authors — basically, lawmakers who chose to hide their name.  These bills mean there is no one to ask questions until the bill has their hearing.

We hope the media notices this and demands more open information about what lawmakers are debating before the actual day of the hearing.