The Nonprofit Association of Oregon alerted you last week to the extremely dangerous Senate Bill 181 that passed out of the House Committee on Revenue. NAO and dozens of nonprofits across Oregon provided testimony opposed to SB181. Sadly, obfuscation and confusion are being used as a tactic by proponents to insist that this bill has no impact on nonprofits.

SB181 is now scheduled for a vote on the floor of the Oregon House of Representatives on Monday, June 12.

SB181 will create a new, annual reporting requirement that will require charitable benefit nonprofits to defend their property tax exemption every year! Individual county tax assessors will be allowed to interpret the current, unclear laws using their own ideas of eligibility for exemption. This is at a time when government employees are under political pressure from politicians to bring in more revenue.

NAO and nonprofits across Oregon agree that it is NOT in the best interest of the government or the people of Oregon to ask nonprofits to provide annual reporting that will determine property tax exemption status. This extra layer of bureaucracy is unnecessary and burdensome to charitable nonprofits and is designed to trip up unsuspecting nonprofits with the very real result of unfair levies on property taxes that are undeserved and poorly defined in statute.

Proponents of this bill admitted in testimony on May 9 that one of their agendas for this bill is to disqualify certain nonprofit organizations that they personally do not believe should meet charitable exemption status.  Nonprofits as diverse as large hospital systems and feral cat organizations were named as the targets of their aggression!

NAO believes the result of passage of SB181 will have an impact on a large number of nonprofits that may lose their tax exempt status based on interpretations that may not be fair or valid, or are inconsistent. We have particular concerns for smaller rural, culturally specific and all volunteer nonprofits who may not realize they have been burdened by a new hoop to jump through, courtesy of their legislators.

Your messages are getting through, but additional action is needed NOW!

NAO has confirmed several "no" votes by House members who have been listening to their constituent nonprofits and are moved to take action. Please take the following steps immediately:
  • Remind Legislators of the importance of your nonprofit's work in your community and that property tax exemption for nonprofits is not given at the deficit of government, but at the productive use of community!
  • Demand that House legislators vote against SB181 on the floor of the House when it comes to a vote. You will need to send this directly to your House Representatives. (link to House of Representatives' contacts)
Express your strong opposition to SB181 now or get ready to lose your nonprofit property tax exemption based on arbitrary criteria and personal agendas of your County Tax Assessors! 

Please let NAO know of your action by either sending an update or copying us at [email protected] on your letters to your representatives.