By Oregon Small Business Association.

SB248, doubled state licensing fees on those who make and sell beer, wine and liquor. Read more »

By Oregon Small Business Association.

All good things must end, and such is the case with sales tax exemption for Oregon shoppers who spend money in Washington. Read more »

By Oregon Small Business Association.

Within hours of Republican State Senators returning to the legislature May 13 from a four day walkout, House Bill 3427 passed along party lines, 18-11. The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Brown, who will sign it into law. Read more »

By Oregon Small Business Association.

Oregon’s workforce is no longer the country’s most stoned, but is still got higher than in 2017. Read more »

By Oregon Small Business Association.

The carbon tax bill, HB 2020, also known as Carbon Cap-and-Trade would have a big price tag for Oregon small businesses and their customers. Read more »

By Oregon Small Business Association.

Oregon tax bill HB 2116 could threaten the survival of low income workers by adding an extremely restrictive compliance rule that would impact tens of thousands of occupational licenses holders.

Oregon is rated as one of the worst states for occupational licensing and the legislature is considering a tax bill that will make it even worse.

According to the Institute for Justice, 58 percent of low-income occupations have some sort of licensing requirement. For example, Oregon requires 140 days of training to become a manicurist. Cosmetology licenses in Oregon currently require seven additional months of training compared to the same license in Massachusetts.

HB 2116 makes tax compliance a licensing requirement.  This would disqualify workers who have tax problems. Everyone with an occupational license—manicurists, cosmetologists, real estate agents, lawyers, teachers—must “demonstrate” compliance with Oregon’s tax laws before they get their license or when they renew their license.  And, if the state determines someone is out of compliance, that person’s license can be revoked, meaning they can’t work in that occupation under HB 2116.

Those most likely to be out of compliance are struggling low-income workers who don’t have the resources to hire an accountant and may not have ability to navigate Oregon’s complex business and payroll tax environment. Under HB 2116, a simple mistake on a tax form or difficulties in paying an unexpectedly large tax bill can result in the loss of a job or an entire business

By Oregon Small Business Association.

Winemakers, brewmasters and the manufacturers of liquors who planned to debut new labels for national release in 2019 are finding those plans thwarted by the federal government shutdown. Read more »

By Oregon Small Business Association.

Federal officials shut down an Oregon man’s website that sold fake documents identity thieves could use to defraud innocent victims. Read more »

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation

Job seekers beware. Scammers are after your money and your personal information. Read more »

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation

An academic hit job by researchers from Denmark and the University of California at Berkeley suggest that companies such as Nike (Facebook, Apple, Google also cited) are taking advantage of so-called “tax havens” to cause billions of dollars of income go “missing.” Read more »