Oregon Tourist Tax

[wiredgeorge]

Go left coast! Another innovation from the left (coast).

https://www.statesmanjournal.com/sto...vs/8369223002/

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Go left coast! Another innovation from the left (coast).

https://www.statesmanjournal.com/sto...vs/8369223002/

Maybe we should have a Sales Tax instead?

[Carl n Susan]

Have you been to Montana, Washington, or Idaho?

[dutchmensport]

" Oregon imposed a similar surcharge on out-of-state campers who reserved any type of campsite with the idea of discouraging travel to the state. "

They asked for it, they got it. I guess I'm just not welcome there. I'm not going anywhere I'm not welcome.

[Getn off]

Sure making it feel welcome for us out of towners. Makes me not want to visit…and I was born and raised there.
Troy

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by Getn off

Sure making it feel welcome for us out of towners. Makes me not want to visit…and I was born and raised there.
Troy

One reason for taxing out-of-state RVs is because Oregonians already pay an extra licensing fee to register recreational vehicles with the DMV. The annual cost ranges from $86 for a small trailer to $388 for a mammoth 45-foot motorhome. About half of that money goes to state parks.

I pay this and have never in my 20years of RV life have stayed in an Oregon State Campground.





Trust me, you don't want to be here... they are taxing the living hell out of us. Gotta keep Portland going I guess.... screw the other 90% of the state.

[notanlines]

"having one of the highest tax rates on personal income in the nation. Oregon counties and cities have the right to impose a sales tax at the local level."
Even in Tennessee, land of no income tax, we still live with 9 1/2 % on everything under the sun. Yes, the sales tax on a $150K RV is $14,250. We are supposed to be appeased because our yearly tags are $35.00.

[sourdough]

The kind of thinking that drives these types of decisions defies logic. Oh well, I won't be going there. It's already out in the Passport America bulletin which just hit my email - maybe they'll get what they apparently want, zero out of staters.

[jasin1]

Apparently Oregon has a a ton of places to camp…especially in Portland…my son was out there for work and said there was a bunch of tents in the median strip between the road..seems it’s a camper friendly town

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by notanlines

"having one of the highest tax rates on personal income in the nation. Oregon counties and cities have the right to impose a sales tax at the local level.".

Some places do have hidden tourist taxes to this effect, I lived in Ashland for 16 years and within the city they have a "Prepared Food Tax" which I believe is around 6-7% Targeting out of town diners...

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by jasin1

Apparently Oregon has a a ton of places to camp…especially in Portland…my son was out there for work and said there was a bunch of tents in the median strip between the road..seems it’s a camper friendly town

This is by far the funniest thing I've read on this forum. Its funny because its so true... and very sad.

[JRTJH]

Every state that I've visited has "extra fees" for out of state visitors... Just go buy a hunting or fishing license. Most states have "additional fees for places where visitors spend money". Look at your last motel/hotel bill at the "tax/surcharge entries". Some states have been charging out of state visitors an additional charge for quite some time. Michigan has been imposing a "surcharge on non-resident state park campground fees" for the past 8 or 10 years (that I know of, or possibly even longer). There is a thread on this forum that's 3 or 4 years old, complaining specifically about the extra "non-resident fees" imposed in Michigan state parks.

When state parks are funded by tax dollars, it makes sense that the residents who pay the majority of those taxes should benefit from what they already pay and visitors who haven't paid their "share of the tax burden" should be required to help fund what they use while in the state.

I've got no "beef" with Oregon imposing an additional fee on "non-resident campers". They have been imposing a fee on "non-resident hunters and fishermen" since they started requiring a hunting/fishing license.... I left a HUGE chuck of change the last time I fished for sturgeon on the Columbia River. A HUGE, HUGE chunk of change !!!!! And, yes, Washington state got a big chunk of change too.....

[BandT]

I have no issue with paying for service received anywhere. However being a long term Washington state resident and seeing my taxes going up every year and seeing damn little to show for I will oppose any new tax until someone decides to show where all the money goes. I seriously doubt that will happen.

[Summergirl]

This not really new for there to be a sur charge on a camp grounds for out of state. It just now has hit the state campgrounds. Back in the late 70’s we went to California and were going to stay in a private campground in Oregon. The first thing they asked was were we out of state. We said no we are from Canada and in your state. Being young and naive we didn’t know. They wanted to charge us an extra 5.00 a night because we didn’t live in Oregon. Let’s just say we didn’t stay and they had to fix the grass. Not one of our proudest moments but never had that happen before.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Every state that I've visited has "extra fees" for out of state visitors... Just go buy a hunting or fishing license. Most states have "additional fees for places where visitors spend money". Look at your last motel/hotel bill at the "tax/surcharge entries". Some states have been charging out of state visitors an additional charge for quite some time. Michigan has been imposing a "surcharge on non-resident state park campground fees" for the past 8 or 10 years (that I know of, or possibly even longer). There is a thread on this forum that's 3 or 4 years old, complaining specifically about the extra "non-resident fees" imposed in Michigan state parks.

When state parks are funded by tax dollars, it makes sense that the residents who pay the majority of those taxes should benefit from what they already pay and visitors who haven't paid their "share of the tax burden" should be required to help fund what they use while in the state.

I've got no "beef" with Oregon imposing an additional fee on "non-resident campers". They have been imposing a fee on "non-resident hunters and fishermen" since they started requiring a hunting/fishing license.... I left a HUGE chuck of change the last time I fished for sturgeon on the Columbia River. A HUGE, HUGE chunk of change !!!!! And, yes, Washington state got a big chunk of change too.....

John, thanks for a great response mostly spot on, just a little off on park funding. Oregon State Parks don’t rely on taxes for funding. They have three main sources of funding, user fees, a share of lottery income, and a large percentage of Oregon RV registration fees. Essvar mentioned the Oregon RV registration fees as a range of $38 to $338, he was incorrect in that is paid every TWO year not every year. Our 32’ 5er runs $229.50 not terrible.
Covid hit OPRD hard, no user fees for three months, little lottery dollars, and a registration moratorium, both autos and RVs.
While this should raise income, it also levels the cost funding between residents and nonresidents.
It isn’t like Oregon is the first state to charge extra for out of state campers, many others do also.

[sourdough]

Any facility has to have a fee structure that supports itself, spread evenly across all users in state or out of state.. Because a particular state does not do that is really on them. To say that "Oregonians already paid a fee to register their RV" and they have paid their fair share while out of staters haven't and need to pay is just silly. RV owners in other states pay their fees that pay for their state parks. They are set, and managed, to fit within those confines. Those from out of state, in those locations, visit them without exclusive "out of state" upcharges.

Cities/states have hotel/motel lodging taxes which even extend to RV campsites - everyone pays. States have gas taxes, income taxes and taxes on everything else that tax usage evenly - everyone pays. Deciding to penalize "out of staters" coming to your state to spend money? Sounds a lot like NM when they overreacted to the pandemic and demonized/prohibited "out of staters" - they paid that price and will continue to do so. I'll just stay where people are treated normally....no matter where they come from. JMO

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by Essvar

Some places do have hidden tourist taxes to this effect, I lived in Ashland for 16 years and within the city they have a "Prepared Food Tax" which I believe is around 6-7% Targeting out of town diners...

In Arizona, it's the rental car tax. If you rent a car within some distance of the airport, the tax is absurd. Savvy air travelers take an Uber out to the suburbs, rent from an office there, and save a ton.

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by Essvar

This is by far the funniest thing I've read on this forum. Its funny because its so true... and very sad.

But in those campgrounds, it's not your dog you have to pick up after.

[notanlines]

When we stayed at a state park in Louisiana the attendant told us if we were from Maryland we would get a 50% discount, same as local residents. What possible connection could Maryland have with Louisiana other than blue crabs and oysters?

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Essvar

This is by far the funniest thing I've read on this forum. Its funny because its so true... and very sad.

Oregon is a beautiful state from what I can see from books and pictures..I’ve never been there but hope to make it to the west coast at least once to check it out. I’m not so much into big cities anymore…used to love going into Baltimore, we have some really nice areas, FellsPoint,Federal Hill,Canton that were pretty safe and problem free….I used to work all over Baltimore also…..things change though and it’s not the same city it was even 5 years ago…that’s one of the reasons we decided to get into RV’s….hopefully the pendulum will swing back somewhere towards the middle and life all over this great country will be back to something that resembles normal for most Americans.