Stop the cell tax

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

6/26 update: The cell-tax bill passed House and Senate.   No need to call your lawmaker.

In the final 50 hours of the Legislature, lawmakers are rushing out a costly cell tax HB 2757-B.

The $50 million a biennium tax is slated to fund the state’s new 9-8-8 suicide prevention hotline but, as State Representative E. Werner Reschke eloquently noted in his testimony before the committee, 44 other states have thus far funded their call centers WITHOUT adding a new tax on consumers.

Core government services like these shouldn’t come with an extra tax on consumers. They should be funded like other emergency and public safety services — from general fund revenues.  That’s probably why only five other states have enacted new taxes to fund 9-8-8 service.  And not a single one of them has a tax as costly as the monthly $.50 per phone line that Oregon legislators want to enact.

The legislation, HB 2757-B, is sponsored by 25 Democratic legislators and it’s not surprising that the tax is also far more than the program actually requires. Representative Reschke noted in his submitted testimony that a tax of $.03, not $.50, should suffice to cover basic costs of the 9-8-8 hotline.

#1. Call/Email your Senator below and tell them No cell phone tax.  No HB 2757-B.

#2. If you do not know who your State Senator is, go to this website and type in your address

#3. There is only the final 48 hours of this weekend to do this.  This cell tax is ∗ nearly 500% over-cost * should be paid with existing cell-tax funds like other states.

Senator Dick Anderson
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1705
Email: [email protected]

Senator Daniel Bonham
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1726
Email: [email protected]

Senator Brian Boquist
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1712
Email: [email protected]

Senator Wlnsvey Campos
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1718
Email: [email protected]

Senator Michael Dembrow
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1723
Email: [email protected]

Senator Lynn Findley
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1730
Email: [email protected]

Senator Lew Frederick
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1722
Email: [email protected]

Senator Sara Gelser Blouin
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1708
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/gelser

Senator Fred Girod
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1709
Email: [email protected]

Senator Jeff Golden
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1703
Email: [email protected]

Senator Chris Gorsek
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1725
Email: [email protected]

Senator Bill Hansell
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1729
Email: [email protected]

Senator Cedric Hayden
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1706
Email: [email protected]

Senator Kayse Jama
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1724
Email: [email protected]

Senator Tim Knopp
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1727
Email: [email protected]

Senator Kate Lieber
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1714
Email: [email protected]

Senator Dennis Linthicum
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1728
Email: [email protected]

Senator James I. Manning Jr.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1707
Email: [email protected]

Senator Mark Meek
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1720
Email: [email protected]

Senator Deb Patterson
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1710
Email: [email protected]

Senator Floyd Prozanski
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1704
Email: [email protected]

Senator Art Robinson
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1702
Email: [email protected]

Senator David Brock Smith
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1701
Email: [email protected]

Senator Janeen Sollman
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1715
Email: [email protected]

Senator Elizabeth Steiner
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1717
Email: [email protected]

Senator Kathleen Taylor
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1721
Email: [email protected]

Senator Kim Thatcher
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1711
Email: [email protected]

Senator Rob Wagner
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1600
Email: [email protected]

Senator Suzanne Weber
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1716
Email: [email protected]

Senator Aaron Woods
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1713
Email: [email protected]