Oregon Wine Tax Proposal Pt 3

Oregon Wine Tax Proposal Pt 3

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. Oregon lawmakers are proposing a 1,700% tax increase on Oregon wine, shocking winemakers and wine lovers alike.

The tax would raise funding for alcohol addiction treatment.

Oregon Wine Council’s Elin Miller says after the proposal came to light last week, the reaction was immediate …

MILLER … “When this proposal hit, I asked folks that I’m selling to and they said, my gosh, if anything like this went through, we’d move out of the state. And, that’s the last thing we in Oregon need is our home-grown businesses moving out of the state because of a ridiculous tax proposal.”

Miller says there have got to be better ways to approach the problem …

MILLER … “And, instead of looking at tax increases, I’d ask our lawmakers to really take a look at, you know, how we can deal with the challenges of addiction in our communities. And, let’s look at the revenue streams in place now and make sure that things are being spent wisely.”

Miller says sure, alcoholism is a serious issue, but a 1,700% tax increase is pretty dramatic …

MILLER … “If the purpose made sense, I think all of us are willing to chat about it, but when it is so outrageous and it doesn’t make sense at all, especially at this time, you know, that’s the challenge we’re facing.”

Polling shows that 74% of Oregonians oppose any increase in taxes on beer, wine, cider and spirits.

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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