proposed 1900% beer tax hike in Oregon

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_021309_news_oregon_beer_tax.126942e1.html?npc

Four Portland legislators joined a Springfield senator to introduce Oregon House Bill 2461, which would impose a $49.61 tax on each barrel of beer produced by Oregon brewers.

So let me get this straight. They're lucky enough to have a booming craft beer industry that creates a large number of jobs. The government views this as a problem, so in the midst of an economic crisis their first inclination is to levy punitively large taxes that will run these places out of business and cause a lot of people to lose their jobs in a market that isn't at all favorable to the job-seeker.

Combating unemployment by creating more unemployment--sounds homeopathic to me.

Wow, what a terrible idea. Oregon doesn't have a sales tax (or at least it didn't last time I was there, in 2006), which would be a more equitable way (though not a progressive form of taxation, unfortunately) to raise revenue for the state.

And again, if they are going to raise taxes, would you rather it be on a necessity rather than a luxury item? Given yes they could have broken this up amongst several different items to tax yes, but this is how it came down.

And again, if they are going to raise taxes, would you rather it be on a necessity rather than a luxury item? Given yes they could have broken this up amongst several different items to tax yes, but this is how it came down.

I keep telling you, beer isn't a luxury, Mike!

It just seems like a lousy idea given that craft brewing is HUGE in Oregon, and there's no sales tax. Unemployment is something like 9% there even in good years.

And again, if they are going to raise taxes, would you rather it be on a necessity rather than a luxury item? Given yes they could have broken this up amongst several different items to tax yes, but this is how it came down.

I keep telling you, beer isn't a luxury, Mike!

It just seems like a lousy idea given that craft brewing is HUGE in Oregon, and there's no sales tax. Unemployment is something like 9% there even in good years.

Rivers..Egypt Joel

Again I agree this is an insane tax looking at just the percentage BUT what does that break down to per drink? And how does that rank with other tax increases? Then if you go from there as I mentioned above, what other items could they have broken that tax increase across? Cigarettes, Coffee, Comic Books, Junk Food?

Here is a link to a Portland news station with additional info - I think it answers some of the questions that have been asked in this string...

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/k ... 1.html?npc

I think it's complete crap!

Yes,

I'm generally pro-tax due to my Socialist leanings, but this tax increase seems ridiculous. It is a regressive tax in that it hits the common person (the average joe) to a larger extent than it hits the wealthy. And it would certainly hurt the brewery business because they will need to raise prices, thus hurting their competitiveness with neighboring states. Hurting the breweries will then cause reduced tax revenues, layoffs, and other problems.

As a former pro-brewer, who has brewer friends in Oregon, and as a former Portland resident, I strongly condemn this proposed tax.

That said, I doubt it will go through! Oregon is pretty progressive.....

Nimbus
p.s. Portland is my favorite city in the US

YIKES !~ Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ~ Business destroying disproportional tax raisers!