To Dismay of Advocates, Gov. Kate Brown’s Budget Does Not Contain New Alcohol Taxes

The alcohol industry pushed back hard after the Oregon Health Authority proposed raising beer and wine taxes.

Vintage Cocktail Lounge. (Walker Stockly)

Gov. Kate Brown released her proposed 2021-23 budget Dec. 1, and conspicuously absent were increases in taxes on alcoholic beverages that the advocacy group Oregon Recovers and its allies wanted.

As WW reported in September, the Oregon Health Authority had included tax increases on wine and beer in its proposed budget for next year in response to pressure from Oregon Recovers and several allied groups. Those would have been the first such increases in 40 years.

Related: After Nearly 40 Years on the Wagon, the Oregon Health Authority Is Turning to Alcohol for Revenue

Supporters of the taxes said in a Nov. 29 Oregonian op-ed that Brown would deliver them.

But after vigorous opposition from the alcohol industry, long a powerhouse in the Capitol, Brown released a budget that left taxes on alcohol unchanged. "The governor's recommended budget for 2021-23 does not include an increase on beer and wine taxes," said Brown's spokesman Charles Boyle.

The Oregon Beverage Alliance, a trade group, applauded Brown for skipping "harmful tax increases."

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