Oregon Wine Tax Proposal Pt 2

Oregon Wine Tax Proposal Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. A tax proposal in Oregon would boost the tax on wine nearly 1,700%. Sponsors of the bill say it would raise funds to pay for the treatment of alcohol addiction.

The Oregon Wine Council’s Elin Miller says it should be a priority, but she questions the timing of the proposal …

MILLER … “Alcohol is the third largest source of revenue for the state of Oregon, yet only 1% of the state’s budget goes to alcohol treatment, and 3.5% of Oregon wine and beer revenue collected is dedicated to addiction recovery.”

Miller says let’s figure out what’s needed before such a drastic tax increase …

MILLER … “Our suggestion would be instead of looking at raising taxes, let’s deeply examine the system to make sure the money is being spent well, going to the right places, based upon the revenue stream that’s in place right now.”

And, when rumors of this proposal began to circulate, Miller says …

MILLER … “There was some poling done last fall and basically three out of four Oregonians said, we’re already paying the highest taxes. We don’t need any higher taxes on our spirits.”

When it’s broken down, Miller says it’s over the top …

MILLER … “Currently, we’re paying .65 cents per gallon. It would go to $10.65 a gallon, and if that were passed on direct to consumers it would be approximately $2 more for every bottle of wine.”

Tune in tomorrow for more on this massive tax proposal on Oregon wine.

For more information on Oregon’s wine tax proposal and to sign a petition against it, go to www.donttaxmydrink.org

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