March 28, 2025
‘Standing’ bill advances: On March 27, the House Committee on Revenue advanced HB 2119 to the House floor for a vote. The bill would allow membership organizations like OBI to assert standing on behalf of members in Oregon Tax Court. The bill is a component of OBI’s Oregon Competitiveness Agenda.
The details: HB 2119 allows membership organizations to seek declaratory relief on behalf of members in the Oregon Tax Court, a part of the Oregon Judicial Department that hears state-level tax appeals. Appeals can involve personal income taxes, property taxes, corporate excise taxes and the like. In essence, the bill would allow organizations like OBI to seek clarity on tax laws so that members themselves don’t have to.
Why it matters: Currently, affected taxpayers can challenge tax laws, but the process is lengthy and burdensome. As OBI Policy Director and Counsel Derek Sangston explains in submitted testimony, the process requires taxpayers to pay a tax with which they disagree, then wait for an answer, which can take years. HB 2119 would speed up the resolution of tax questions and reduce burdens on both taxpayers and the court system.
Learn more: Read Derek Sangston’s testimony here, and click the video the right to watch his in-person testimony, delivered during a Jan. 28 public hearing. Go here to learn more about OBI’s Oregon Competitiveness Agenda.
Disclaimer: Articles featured on Oregon Report are the creation, responsibility and opinion of the authoring individual or organization which is featured at the top of every article.