Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Initiative
City Code Language Now Open for Public Comment

On November 6, 2018, Portland voters adopted Ballot Measure 26-201, the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Initiative (referred to hereafter as the Clean Energy Surcharge or CES). The CES is effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2019. The CES imposes a 1% surcharge on the retail sales within Portland of certain large retailers.

The City’s Revenue Division will administer the tax filing and revenue collection provisions of the CES and must amend Portland City Code Section 7.02 (Business License Law) to implement the surcharge. To aid in clarity and administration, some minor changes are being suggested to the language that was passed by voters.

Below are links to two documents. The first is a redlined version of the language as passed by voters. The second is how the language would be implemented in the City Code itself.

It is important to note that the Revenue Division is only proposing changes to those portions of the CES related to the City’s taxing authority under the Business License Law, PCC 7.02. Other aspects of CES are currently under review and will be implemented later in a different Code Chapter.

If you have comments or questions about the proposed Code changes, please e-mail them to the Revenue Division Director, Thomas Lannom, at Thomas.Lannom@PortlandOregon.gov by January 18, 2019. 

Suggestions can also be mailed to:

Thomas Lannom, Director
City of Portland Revenue Division
111 SW Columbia St., Suite 600
Portland, OR 97201