It is the latest move from advocates looking to raise taxes on alcohol in the state, which have historically been low for beer and wine but high for distilled spirits. A bill seeking to raise taxes on alcohol sales was shot down earlier this year.
“Everybody understands that we put tax on cigarettes and tobacco products, because when you make it more expensive, people smoke less and less kids smoke,” Tony Morse, Oregon Recovers policy and advocacy director, told The Lund Report. “The same logic applies to alcohol.”
The task force would be composed of 17 representatives from the alcoholic beverage industry, addiction advocacy groups, hospitals, local governments, hospitals, treatment providers and others. It would report back to the legislature next year on how the state is spending money on treatment and prevention, the cost of alcohol addiction and how additional taxes on the industry may operate in the future.
Representatives of the beer and wine industry in the state told lawmakers that only a small percentage of the revenue the state receives from current taxes goes toward treatment services, according to the publication. They urged lawmakers to consider reallocating current funding for treatment before raising taxes.
In fact, only 3 percent of revenue collected by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission goes toward mental health programs, according to the publication. The remaining 57 percent goes to the state’s general fund, which is money that can be used for any purpose.
