Christine Drazan Criticizes Oregon’s Tax On Paying Taxes

Canby, Ore. – Former House Republican Leader and state representative Christine Drazan today criticized the Oregon Department of Revenue for the agency’s decision to discontinue the most popular free tax filing services. The decision could force nearly half of Oregon taxpayers to pay to file their state taxes this year or require them to file via mail, delaying access to much-needed kicker relief and other refunds.

“The Oregon Department of Revenue’s decision to discontinue this program effectively forces Oregonians to pay a tax to pay their taxes,” said Drazan. “Paying taxes is painful enough. Paying to pay them makes it even worse. At a time when Oregonians could use some additional money to keep up with rampant inflation and rising gas prices, the state should be doing everything in its power to save taxpayers’ money and return refunds they are entitled to as quickly as possible.”

As The Oregonian/OregonLive reported:
For taxpayers who don’t want to pay to file their taxes electronically, the Oregon Department of Revenue long provided free options. Last year, nearly 70,000 Oregonians used one.

But Oregon quietly discontinued its most-used versions this year, leaving previously eligible Oregonians with taxable incomes above $73,000 with no option to file for free online. That is nearly half of Oregon tax filers. The state cited a decision by Intuit, maker of market-dominating tax software TurboTax, to discontinue technical support for the free service.

That’s a particularly big deal this year, when taxpayers are expecting the largest kicker tax rebate in Oregon history. People and households who need that money quickly could feel extra pressure to pay a tax software company or tax accounting firm just to e-file their return, rather than wait for their refund to arrive after mailing it in with 58-cent stamp.
###