Oregon Governor Signs Away Hated Tax, But Fight Goes On

With a few strokes of a pen, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber last week wiped out the oldest and most costly weight-distance tax in the nation.

Trucking hopes the governor’s signature was written in indelible ink, but forces opposed to the overhaul of the state’s truck taxing system still plan to try to reverse the repeal.

Kitzhaber’s Sept. 9 signing of legislation replacing the state’s weight-distance tax with higher vehicle registration fees and a new tax on diesel fuel marked the culmination of years of hard lobbying by trucking.

However, the American Automobile Association of Oregon and Idaho says it will attempt to persuade the public to reject the repeal and its accompanying gasoline tax increase in a public referendum.

For the full story, see the Sept. 13 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.