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Oregon collects $34,000 from bike tax through April

Published May 16, 2018

SALEM, Ore. (BRAIN) — The Oregon Department of Revenue has collected $34,065 from bike retailers for the state's $15 bike tax, which went into effect Jan. 1.

The figure equates to taxes collected on the sale of 2,271 bikes, a fraction of the number of bikes sold in a state of 4.1 million. Lawmakers predicted the tax would bring in $1.2 million in its first year. A lag in reporting and paying the new tax likely explains the difference. 

The figure is for all the state's bike tax receipts from January through April, said the department's Colleen Chrisinger. The tax requires retailers to make reports and payments quarterly, so the first payments only began arriving in April.

"Given the due dates, these receipts would likely be for tax liability associated with the period January through March, but we always want to emphasize that there can be differences between amounts and timing of taxes paid compared to taxes owed. Receipts are simply payments the department has received," Chrisinger said.

Oregon is the only state with a bike sales tax. The June 15 issue of BRAIN will contain an article with more details on the Oregon bike tax, as well as a look at the $4-per-bike tax that has been levied in Colorado Springs, Colorado, since 1988. 

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