Spring 2008 ONSA Newsletter

As you may have read in both the Oregonian and Willamette Week, for the past several months ONSA has been working to prevent the Portland City Council from imposing a new street tax that would unduly burden small storeowners.

ONSA first learned of Portland’s plans to impose a new street tax in December 2007. The original proposal, introduced by Commissioner Sam Adams, would have cost the typical small storeowner $500/month or $6,000/year – per store! Upon learning of Portland’s tax proposal, ONSA informed other small business organizations about the City’s plans and scheduled meetings with City officials to discuss how the new tax would impact small businesses of all kinds. As a result of these meetings, the City agreed to modify its tax proposal so that small storeowners would pay approximately $100/month per store.

While the City’s modified tax proposal certainly represented an improvement upon the original, ONSA and other small business organizations continued to express concerns. In particular, ONSA argued that it was inequitable for the tax to automatically increase by 3% every year and for the City Council to impose a tax, projected to cost taxpayers $464 million over 15 years, without a public vote. Notwithstanding these concerns, the Portland City Council unanimously voted to adopt the new tax on Jan. 30, 2008.

Immediately following passage of the tax on January 30th, a concerned business owner filed a referendum petition and began collecting signatures to refer the new tax to a public vote. The City Council responded to the referendum petition by using a rare procedural maneuver that would allow it to reconsider the new tax at its next meeting. At that meeting, the Council repealed the street tax it had adopted just one-week before, with the intention of passing a new ordinance later in the month that would send the tax proposal to voters at the November 2008 General Election.

ONSA is continuing to monitor the City of Portland’s activity on this important issue and will keep members informed throughout the year.

Oregon Neighborhood Store Association Newsletter
	YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD STORE ASSOCIATION
		Spring 2008 Vol. 10 No. 1
Update: Portland Street Tax
As you may have read in both the Oregonian and Willamette Week, for the past several months ONSA has been working to prevent the Portland City Council from imposing a new street tax that would unduly burden small storeowners. ONSA first learned of Portland’s plans to impose a new street tax in December 2007. The original proposal, introduced by Commissioner Sam Adams, would have cost the typical small storeowner $500/month or $6,000/year – per store! Upon learning of Portland’s tax proposal, ONSA informed other small business organizations about the City’s plans and scheduled meetings with City officials to discuss how the new tax would impact small businesses of all kinds. As a result of these meetings, the City agreed to modify its tax proposal so that small storeowners would pay approximately $100/month per store. While the City’s modified tax proposal certainly represented an improvement upon the original, ONSA and other small business organizations continued to express concerns. In particular, ONSA argued that it was inequitable for the tax to automatically increase by 3% every year and for the City Council to impose a tax, projected to cost taxpayers $464 million over 15 years, without a public vote. Notwithstanding these concerns, the Portland City Council unanimously voted to adopt the new tax on Jan. 30, 2008. Immediately following passage of the tax on January 30th, a concerned business owner filed a referendum petition and began collecting signatures to refer the new tax to a public vote. The City Council responded to the referendum petition by using a rare procedural maneuver that would allow it to reconsider the new tax at its next meeting. At that meeting, the Council repealed the street tax it had adopted just one-week before, with the intention of passing a new ordinance later in the month that would send the tax proposal to voters at the November 2008 General Election. ONSA is continuing to monitor the City of Portland’s activity on this important issue and will keep members informed throughout the year.		Inside: Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Washington’s Three-Tier System Federal action on credit card interchange fees Anticipated High Gasoline Prices Are Consumers’ Top Concern, According to NACS Report U.S. C-Store Count Increases OLCC Container Rule Effective March 16th ONSA GOLF!!! Insurance Interest Survey

Update: Portland Street Tax