SB 1 Self-identified race/ethnicity on tax forms

03/30/2023
VOTE:NO – Signed into law by Gov.Kotek 7-31-23, effective 9-24-23
Status (overview) of bill: HTTPs://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Overview/SB1

This bill allows personal income taxpayers to voluntarily report taxpayers’ self-identified race and ethnicity identifiers. A firewall inside the department will ensure that the data will not be used by auditors or for tax compliance purposes. Taxpayers will be able to check a box that says “Choose not to answer” if they do not want to disclose this information.

What does filing tax statements have to do with ethnicity/race. This will allow access to the way people spend their income in a personal intrusive way that should not be studied by a committee or the Revenue Department. It will allow reporting, analyzing the answers on the tax form to be used to associate a race or ethnicity with how a few are doing. It’s none of the tax department business how people live their lives.

SB 1 is an invasion of a taxpayers privacy. Oregon Revenue Department already asks far too many questions that citizens shouldn’t answer.