If cannabis businesses can’t pay their taxes, Oregon won’t renew their business licenses
The cannabis industry is the least tax-compliant business sector in Oregon, according to the state Department of Revenue. But starting Sept. 15, new state rules will require cannabis businesses to be in good standing with tax collectors to renew their business licenses. Businesses unable to pay taxes may be required to enter a payment plan. Starting now, the rules also apply to any cannabis businesses now filing for a change of ownership. The state said it hasn’t received 9% of the sales tax revenue it is owed from cannabis retailers. Mark Pettinger, a spokesperson for the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s recreational marijuana program, said many businesses are struggling to pay because of slim profit margins and limited access to banking. (Nathan Wilk/KLCC)
Removal of homeless camps planned in Central Oregon
Governments in Deschutes County are poised to remove hundreds of outdoor campers from their current locations in the coming months. Deschutes County commissioners voted Wednesday to advance their plan to evict up to 200 people from the Juniper Ridge campsite along Highway 97. The county has cited health code violations as its reason for taking action. Meanwhile, Bend city officials will initiate the removal of campers along Hunnell Road on July 17. That effort had been delayed since March. City and county officials had hoped to open a jointly-managed camping area, but those talks fell apart. Bend says it now has more shelter beds and is ready to enforce its camping code. The ACLU of Oregon has warned the city that it could open itself to legal liability if it clears campers while lacking enough shelter beds. (Anna Kaminski/The Bend Bulletin)
Read the Hunnell Road story here.
Read the Juniper Ridge story here.
Lawmakers punt permanent canola cap in the Willamette Valley
Oregon legislators voted to keep Willamette Valley canola farming limited to 500 acres for at least another year while deciding whether the industry can expand. Specialty seed growers in the region say the risk of genetic contamination among brassicas is too high to allow more canola farming. (Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press)
Potatoes take their place in Oregon’s pantheon 🥔
The Oregon House passed a resolution Wednesday to designate the potato as Oregon’s official state vegetable. Support for spuds was not unanimous, as some lawmakers voted against the resolution, choosing instead to back onions. (Dianne Lugo/Salem Statesman Journal)