Beer tax hike would bolster underfunded aid to addicts.Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Ken Allen Ken Allen was the name given to a Bornean orangutan at the San Diego Zoo. He became one of the most popular animals in the history of the San Diego Zoo because of his many successful escapes from his enclosures. Ken Allen was born in captivity at the San Diego Zoo in 1971. and Gina Nikkel For The Register-Guard In this state budget cycle, addiction addiction: see drug addiction and drug abuse. services in Oregon are facing especially drastic reductions. In particular, the latest state budget proposal cuts funding for treatment, prevention and recovery programs by a staggering 84 percent. In these tough economic times, it is not enough to simply talk about cuts. We need to look for funding solutions. With huge demands being placed on our state's coffers and an increasingly dismal dis·mal adj. 1. Causing gloom or depression; dreary: dismal weather; took a dismal view of the economy. 2. budget forecast, it's critical that we find alternative sources of revenue to pay for the programs and services Oregonians depend on. That is why we are calling on state legislators to pass the beer tax increase - House Bill 2461. On Monday, the Legislature held its first hearing on the proposed beer tax increase, and we were there. Our legislators need to know that, beyond all the news stories and competing statistics in this debate, there are real people engaged in the fight against the disease of addiction, and they support a reasonable tax on beer. Specifically, we think it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to listen to the experts when it comes to funding addiction programs - the direct service professionals who dedicate ded·i·cate tr.v. ded·i·cat·ed, ded·i·cat·ing, ded·i·cates 1. To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes; consecrate. 2. themselves to helping individuals, families and communities cope with substance abuse and dependence Substance Abuse and Dependence Definition Substance abuse and dependence refer to any continued pathological use of a medication, non-medically indicated drug (called drugs of abuse), or toxin. They normally are distinguished as follows. . These service providers know better than anyone how underfunding and budget reductions can affect services. If you ask someone who works in the field, they'll tell you that substance abuse and addiction programs already are woefully woe·ful also wo·ful adj. 1. Affected by or full of woe; mournful. 2. Causing or involving woe. 3. Deplorably bad or wretched: underfunded un·der·fund tr.v. un·der·fund·ed, un·der·fund·ing, un·der·funds To provide insufficient funding for. underfunded adj → infradotado (económicamente) . These front-line workers know all too well about the waiting lists for individuals trying to get into programs, and often have their hearts broken when they see people turned away from services with no place else to go. You don't have to work in the substance abuse profession to know the faces of addiction. They are family members, co-workers, friends and neighbors. They are people whose untreated disease has significant social and economic consequences - not only for themselves, but for all of us. It's been 32 years since Oregon's beer tax was increased; at present, Oregon has the lowest beer tax in the country. The proposed beer tax increase not only would provide a stable and adequate funding source for the state's chronically underfunded substance abuse services (and for Ballot Measure 57, approved by Oregon voters in November, which mandates treatment and recovery programs for inmates and parolees) it would free up $114 million from the state's general fund to be used for other critical services that may otherwise be threatened. Lest we be duped into thinking this would be the end of beer drinking as we know it, let's ask ourselves why you can cross the river to Washington - a state with a sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. and a higher beer tax than Oregon - and purchase a six pack for nearly the same price as you can in Oregon. Price is a function of supply and demand. If the distributors choose to use this reasonable tax as an excuse to increase their profit margins beyond the level of the tax, then shame on them. Ken Allen is executive director of the Oregon section of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is the second- or third-largest labor union in the United States and one of the fastest-growing, representing over 1. . Gina Nikkel is executive director of the Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs. |
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