Oregon adds oral nicotine tax to fund wildfire prevention and recovery; local lawmaker was behind the move
Claire Elmer
(Update: Adding video, Senator Broadman’s comments)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — After being passed by the Oregon Legislature with bipartisan support earlier this summer, a tax on oral nicotine in House Bill 3940 has now taken effect.
The amendment of HB 3940 regarding oral nicotine was presented by Senator Anthony Broadman (D-Bend) as a solution to help fund Oregon’s wildfire efforts — both prevention and recovery.
The tax adds 65 cents on nicotine pouches with up to 20 units, plus an additional 3 cents per extra unit. Prior to the implementation, oral, synthetic nicotine was not taxed in the state of Oregon, unlike more traditional tobacco products.
KTVZ News spoke with Broadman on Wednesday about the tax and how it’s being implemented.
“We want to make sure that we’re working with our public health partners, and working with the rest of our revenue picture. to make sure that every tax, whether it’s nicotine or fuel, is applied fairly and equitably,” Broadman said.
“People see the importance of funding wildfire mitigation, and I think that’s why this bill was so popular throughout our state,” he added.
One-third of the new oral nicotine tax’s proceeds will go to Oregon’s Landscape Resiliency Fund, and two-thirds will go to a Community Risk Reduction Fund.
“The most effective way to fund wildfire is to get it early is to prevent the fires from turning into conflagrations at all,” the lawmaker said.
With many Oregonians already struggling with cost of living, increasing the price of any product isn’t always the most popular decision, but officials say the tax is small compared to other states and helps discourage the use of addictive substances.
Broadman said he will continue to fight for more funding for Central Oregon, to ensure our forests and communities are healthy and safe.