Bill would leave intact tax by Forest Resources Institute
Senate changes skirt controversy, but House also has to approve forest products harvest tax rates.
The Oregon Senate has passed a bill that skirts a controversy about the Oregon Forest Research Institute, a quasi-governmental agency that has come under criticism from some lawmakers and drawn scrutiny from news accounts.
The Senate voted 19-10 on Wednesday, June 23, to approve new rates for forest products harvest taxes for various programs. But the bill leaves untouched the maximum rate of $1.12 per thousand board feet that the institute can levy under state law.
It attached the rates to House Bill 2434, relating to revenue, which also makes permanent what had been temporary increases in aviation and jet fuel. Those rates would drop automatically on Jan. 1, 2022, without legislative action.
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SALEM â Funding for the Oregon Forest Resources Institute would be substantially decreased under a bill thatâs been cleared for a House vote by a key legislative committee.
The institute provides education to landowners and the public about forest management but has come under fire from critics for alleged bias and lobbying on behalf of timber interests.
Currently, OFRI receives nearly $4 million in annual funding from a timber harvest tax.
Under House Bill 2357, 67% of the harvest tax revenues would be directed to accounts aimed at encouraging sound forestry practices and assisting family forestland owners, overseen by the Oregon Department of Forestry.
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