Oregon Shoppers May Pay Sales Tax In Bordering Washington Cities

Indirect Tax, ONESOURCE, Sales and Use Tax Posted by Stephen Fantl 0 Comment

Posted on February 20, 2012

Washington Senator Cheryl Pflug has proposed SB 6061, which would make Oregonians, who currently pay no sales tax, and who shop in southwest Washington, pay a retail sales tax in an attempt to raise state revenues to the tune of an estimated $18 million.  In bordering city Vancouver, WA, for example, the combined state and local rate is 8.2%.  Shoppers would pay the tax initially, but then can apply for a refund exempting them from the state rate of 6.5%, but would still be obligated to pay Vancouver’s 1.7% rate.  To qualify for the refund, a shopper would have to prove out of state residency, totals would have to be over $25 (about $384 of spending), and one could only apply once a year.  The bill has mixed support.

 

 

 

Source: http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/jan/31/bill-would-see-oregonians-pay-some-sales-tax-here/

Share
Categories: Indirect Tax, ONESOURCE, Sales and Use Tax

About Stephen Fantl

My name is Stephen A. Fantl and I am a Lead Tax Analyst for ONESOURCE, part of Thomson Reuters. I have a BA of Finance and Economics from the University of Oregon and have been working in the transaction tax field for the past three years.


As part of the Indirect Tax team at ONESOURCE I help lead a group of tax professionals responsible for continuously maintaining all US rates and calculation logic. We apply various research methodologies and analyzation tools to ensure we are at the forefront of the current transaction tax landscape.


The world of transaction tax is constantly changing. While the thought of compliance can often be a stressful topic for businesses, it makes for interesting discussion points. I am pleased to have the opportunity to share with you the many experiences we encounter along the way.