STATE
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
A7
Tax filing deadline extended to July 15
By Dick Hughes
For the Oregon Capital
Bureau
Oregonians now have
until July 15 to file and pay
their 2019 state personal or
business income taxes. But
any quarterly payments for
2020 still will be due April
15.
The IRS previously
extended its deadline to
July 15 for filing personal
and corporate federal tax
returns, paying those taxes,
contributing to an IRA for
2019 and making the first
quarterly estimated tax pay-
ment for 2020. However,
for those who make quar-
terly payments, the “sec-
ond” payment for 2020 still
is due on June 15.
Oregon is not going
quite as far. The changes
announced
Wednesday
afternoon by the Oregon
Department of Revenue
include:
•
Oregon
personal
income tax returns and pay-
ments for 2019 are now due
July 15.
• For corporate income
and excise taxpayers, the
deadline for filing returns
and payments is extended
from May 15 to July 15.
Returns due after May
15 do not have extended
deadlines.
• The extensions are
automatic. Taxpayers do
not need to apply for them.
• Any interest and pen-
alties under the extended
Oregon tax filings and pay-
ments will start accruing on
July 16.
• Deadlines for other
taxes are not extended.
Business groups and some
legislators have called for a
delay in the new corporate
activity tax.
In its announcement,
the department said the
extensions were because
“the governor’s state-de-
clared emergency due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and
the action of the IRS will
impair the ability of Ore-
gon taxpayers to take cer-
tain actions within the time
prescribed by law.”
“The governor’s clearly
stated goal is for Oregon
families to stay home, save
lives,” said department
Director Nia Ray, echoing
Gov. Kate Brown’s tagline
for social distancing. “After
consultation with the state
treasurer and state budget
officials, the Department of
Revenue will extend per-
sonal and corporate income
tax deadlines during this
challenging period.”
The tax payment exten-
sion could create up to
a $1.5 billion cash-flow
problem for the state bud-
get, said Rep. Paul Holvey,
D-Eugene, co-chair of the
Legislature’s Joint Special
Committee on Coronavirus
Response.
“That’s a huge cash-flow
problem, which probably
takes many of the items we
want to help with off the
table, I’m afraid,” he said
during the committee meet-
ing Tuesday.
His comments drew a
strong response from Sen.
Tim Knopp, R-Bend.
“Cash flow problems,
really? The government just
shut down about 90 percent
of our businesses in the state
of Oregon, who now have
massive cash-flow prob-
lems. And the whole reason
to delay the filing and pay-
ment is for them to be able
to catch up,” Knopp said.
“So for the government
to, at this point, claim pov-
erty or to claim cash-flow
problems after what they’ve
done to business, quite
frankly just seems incredi-
bly hypocritical.”
Knopp said the deadline
should be delayed so busi-
nesses could recover and
have sufficient cash-flow to
pay their taxes. Rep. Greg
Barreto, R-Cove, agreed
and added, “I can tell you
right now businesses across
the state are laying off.”
The committee also dis-
cussed whether to delay
implementation of the new
corporate activity tax as
part of proposals to help
businesses and individuals.
Rep. Janelle Bynum,
D-Happy Valley, urged the
state government to stay
disciplined: “That means
we find out who’s in trou-
ble and who’s not. I don’t
want people who are doing
just fine to hide behind
those of us who really are
struggling.”
Bynum, who co-owns
several fast food restaurants
in the Portland area, added
that she probably wouldn’t
have the cash to pay all her
taxes.
“I’m one of those busi-
nesses that looks like it has
a lot of money,” she said,
“but it goes out faster than I
can keep it. But I’d rather be
upfront about what is hap-
pening in my business, so
that whatever help I need, I
know what to ask for.”
Separately on Wednes-
day, the state Department
of Consumer and Busi-
ness Services issued a tem-
porary emergency order
requiring insurance com-
panies to extend grace peri-
ods for premium payments,
postpone policy cancella-
tions and non-renewals and
extend deadlines for report-
ing claims.
“Many of our insurers
have already stepped up
and done the right thing,”
Insurance Commissioner
Andrew Stolfi said Wednes-
day. “This order will ensure
every Oregonian who needs
it has relief from these
insurance policy terms, giv-
ing them a measure of secu-
rity and stability.”
More cases, self-serve gas, federal money and more:
A roundup of coronavirus developments in Oregon
By Dick Hughes
For the Oregon Capital
Bureau
Oregon has experienced
690 confirmed cases of
COVID-19 since January,
as of Tuesday morning.
The 84 new cases
announced by the Oregon
Health Authority were led
by 18 each in Marion and
Washington counties.
Washington County has
had the most cases, 168,
followed by Marion with
123. Eighteen Oregonians
have died from the disease,
all over the age of 60.
The state reported on
Sunday that 140 patients
had been hospitalized for
COVID-19, but 291 adult
ICU beds were available, as
were 67 pediatric ICU beds.
In a video posted Satur-
day, Gov. Kate Brown said
the latest modeling shows
that Oregon is unlikely to
run out of available hospi-
tal beds if people practice
social distancing.
Passenger traffic at Port-
land International Airport
is down 90%, and ridership
on TriMet is down about
80%.
“These are the kind of
metrics that indicate we are
reducing the transmission
of the virus,” Brown said.
Here’s a round-up of
other coronavirus news:
• Self-serve gas: Oregon
Fire Marshal Jim Walker
temporarily suspended the
state’s ban on self-serve
gas. His office produced a
handy flier for service sta-
tions to post for customers
who don’t know how to fuel
their vehicles.
Service stations nei-
ther are required to offer
self-serve nor, under some
circumstances, are they
required to have any atten-
dant present.
For years, Oregon and
New Jersey have been the
only states disallowing
self-service, but Oregon
gradually has been easing
restrictions, especially in
rural areas.
Oregon politicians had
differing reactions to the
news.
Oregon Capital Bureau/Jake Thomas
Gov. Kate Brown details steps Oregon is taking to limit the spread of COVID-19 at a press
conference in Portland on March 12.
“Personally, I think the
best solution is to have the
customer run their own card
and let the attendant pump
the gas, thereby limiting the
number of different people
touching the pump,” Sen.
Michael Dembrow, D-Port-
land, wrote in his daily con-
stituent update.
“This is preposterous.
Gas pump handles could
become breeding grounds
for virus,” tweeted Sen.
Mark Hass, D-Beaverton.
Consumer Reports offers
these tips on self-protection
while pumping gas: Con-
sider carrying disposable
nitrile or latex gloves to use
when gripping the pump
handle. Or use paper tow-
els to grip the handle and
to touch the keypads. When
done, invert the gloves and
throw them away, along
with any paper towels, etc.,
that you’ve used. Use hand
sanitizer before getting
back into the vehicle.
“Cleaning your hands
after you’re done seems
like the quickest, easiest
precaution. But some driv-
ers might want to have dis-
infectant wipes handy for
wiping down the gas pump
handle and the payment
keypad before pumping,”
Consumer Reports said.
• “Stay Home, Stay
Alive”: The governor’s
social distancing campaign
launched Saturday with the
Portland-based ad agency
Wieden+Kennedy produc-
ing the ads for free.
They include slogans
such as “Don’t acciden-
tally kill someone,” “Keep
Portland alive” (instead of
“weird”) and “Essential
workers, as you stay out-
side for us, we will stay at
home for you. Thank you.”
• Online charter schools:
Colt Gill, director of the
Oregon Education Depart-
ment, clarified that online
education may continue.
Virtual public char-
ter schools were included
in the school closure that
Brown ordered through
April 28. However, the Edu-
cation Department also said
schools that offered online
education, or were capa-
ble of doing so, could keep
operating if there was no
in-person contact.
All Oregon schools have
been ordered to provide
“supplemental” education
— informal or review mate-
rials for students — whereas
the closed schools in Wash-
ington state have been told
to resume teaching students,
although not in person.
For Oregon online char-
ter schools, it pretty much
can be business as usual,
Gill said. But they may not
enroll new students until
Brown reopens schools.
• Trump signs aid: Ore-
gon Rep. Greg Walden
joined President Donald
Trump at the White House
signing ceremony for the $2
trillion coronavirus relief
package that Congress
passed last week.
“I was proud to help
write and pass the rescue
package and to stand next
to the President when he
signed it into law,” Walden
wrote in a newsletter. “This
package is not the first
response to the COVID-19
pandemic, nor will it be the
last.”
• Getting to Capitol Hill:
Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio
flew back to Washington,
D.C., on Thursday night
to vote for passage of the
coronavirus response on
Friday. He said his Alaska
Airlines flight had four pas-
sengers with four or five
flight attendants.
• Special session: Sen.
Dembrow said it was too
early to tell when Gov.
Brown might convene a
special legislative session.
State government will
receive a hefty amount of
money from the congres-
sional aid package.
“Until we have a better
understanding of the gaps
in the federal legislation,
we won’t know exactly
what is needed in a special
session,” Dembrow wrote
in a constituent update.
“The Governor is com-
mitted to calling us into
session only when (a) we
know exactly what finan-
cial assistance is needed
from the state and (b) it is
clear that any actions taken
are supported by both the
Democratic and Republi-
can caucuses.
“Another reason for her
reluctance to call us into
session is that our state
budget outlook is not yet
clear.”
Some legislators have
said a special session
might not be necessary. In
a disaster, Brown has wide-
spread authority to move
money around in the state
budget and to take certain
other actions without legis-
lative approval.
Grant SWCD Weed Control Dept.
Working for You in 2020
www.nsvrc.org/saam
#SAAM
#IAsk
© 2020 National Sexual Violence Resource Center. All rights reserved.
S177194-1
Thanks to the Grant County Court and Northeast Oregon Forests Resource
Advisory Committee, Grant Weed Control is able to offer a 25% Cost
share program for Noxious Weed Control on Private Grazing Lands,
through a Title II funded Grant Project. This program will provide a
maximum $5,000 of noxious weed control services with a $1,250 maximum
landowner contribution to qualifying participants. To be eligible for
participation, the treatment property must not be actively irrigated and
must be primarily managed for livestock grazing, minimum of 20 acres in
size, located within Grant County, and must contain priority noxious weed
species. Applications for this limited weed control assistance opportunity
will be ranked and funded according to a priority noxious weed list.
Contact the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District Office at
(541) 575-1554 or visit 721 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845 for
applications and additional information.
This application deadline for this program is April 10th, 2020.
Heart of Grant County, 541-620-1342 • Grant County Victim Assistance Program, 541-575-4026. This project
was supported by Grant No. 2015-WR-AX-0008 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of
Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/ program/exhibition are
those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against
Women. Designed by the Blue Mountain Eagle. Remember: sex without consent = sexual assault
S181103-1