Lawmakers Ponder Retail Delivery Fee

Colorado implemented such a fee in 2022 and raises about $70 million a year from it.

Amazon Prime delivery van in Northwest Portland. (Aaron Mesh)
By Nigel Jaquiss

After months of intensive work on how to bolster funding for the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee is preparing to unveil a package of funding options to augment the gas tax and vehicle registration fees.

One new idea: a fee on retail deliveries by companies such as Amazon and DoorDash.

Colorado implemented such a fee in 2022 and raises about $70 million a year from it. Minnesota’s fee, implemented last year, brought in $60 million.

The funding package will have lots of moving parts and will be the subject of intense debate, but co-chairs Sen. Chris Gorsek (D-Gresham) and Rep. Susan McLain (D-Hillsboro) say such a fee is under consideration.

“It’s on the table, but that doesn’t mean it will stay there,” Gorsek says.

This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering rural Oregon. OJP seeks to inform, engage, and empower readers with investigative and watchdog reporting that makes an impact. Our stories appear in partner newspapers across the state. Learn more at oregonjournalismproject.org.

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