Business Personal Property Tax

Many Oregon small business owners are unaware that they must submit an annual personal property tax return to the county assessor. Taxable personal property includes machinery, equipment, furniture, tools, etc., used previously or presently in a business. In general, if personal property is used to produce an income, it’s taxable. However, certain types of personal property are exempt:

• Computer software
• Farm animals
• Farm machinery and equipment
• Inventories that are held for sale in the ordinary course of business
• Household goods, furniture, clothing, tools, and equipment exclusively for personal use in your home

• Licensed vehicles other than fixed load/mobile equipment

Every individual or business entity (such as a partnership, firm, or corporation) that has taxable personal property must file the return each year by March 15. The return needs to list all assets and include the date acquired, cost, and real market value.

Personal property is taxable in the county where it is located as of January 1 at 1 a.m. For example, if your business took delivery of new office furniture in Clatsop County before 1 a.m. on January 1, 2023, then you (or the business entity) would need to report the real market value of the furniture to the Clatsop County Assessor. You will have to submit the return before the March 15 filing deadline. 

More information is available on the website of the Oregon Department of Revenue (DOR). DOR also published an informational flyer (publication number 150-303-661) that explains how personal property assessment and taxation works.

You can also contact any of Oregon’s county assessor offices. The Oregon Association of County Tax Collectors has produced a brief informational video on the business personal property tax.

If you have questions about how this affects your business, please consult your CPA or tax professional.

License Spotlight: Home Occupations Many who contact OSBA either run their business from home or plan to do so. It’s a reasonable choice for many types of businesses, and regulations are usually straightforward. Home based businesses are known as “home occupations” and, with some exceptions, regulations for them are left up to local governments. Local home occupation rules exist to ensure that the business doesn’t disrupt the residential nature of the neighborhood; these rules concern things like signage, parking, whether employees can be present in the home and how many, and business deliveries. Some municipalities require home-occupations to get a special permit, some require them to get a local business license, and some simply require them to follow the local regulations. If you have a home-based business, or are considering one, contact your city or county to see whether they have specific permitting or licensing requirements with which you need to comply.

OSBA 2022 Annual Report

OSBA is putting final touches on its annual report for 2022! It will be available in the next couple of weeks, both on our website at oregon.gov/smallbusiness and in print form by request. In the meantime, a sneak peek: in 2022, 66% of our customers' issues were resolved on the same day. Another 26% of customer issues were resolved within 10 days, and only 8% took longer than 10 days.

Video Resources  for Your Business OSBA continues to develop its YouTube Channel. In 2022 we added 7 new videos that highlight other agencies and topics relevant to small businesses. Information from experts about Paid Leave Oregon, the Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID), US Small Business Administration programs, and benefit companies reached 1,149 views. The total content of our channel includes 38 videos that have been viewed 53,270 times since 2018.  Upcoming video topics include the Government Contracting Assistance Program (GCAP), the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP), and Vocational Rehabilitation’s outreach to businesses.

Technical Assistance Corner

Mercy Corps Northwest’s mission is to invest in communities, uncover breakthrough solutions, and fight for equitable opportunities across the Pacific Northwest. With a variety of free services available in Oregon and Washington, Mercy Corps Northwest can be a valuable ally for your business. Their Small Business services program provides financial opportunities, education, and mentoring.

The Oregon Women’s Business Center at Mercy Corps Northwest serves women and people of all gender identities with access to training, financial services and coaching to assist in starting and/or growing a business. Lifelong Information for Entrepreneurs (LIFE) is a 32-week entrepreneurial training program for incarcerated Oregonians who are within 18 to 24 months of release and post-prison re-entry, and is one of the only programs specifically for justice-involved individuals.

Learn more on their website or by calling 503-896-5070.

Upcoming Events

January 23: OSBA Office Hours, 8:30am-2:00pm, 241 SW Edgeway DR., Room 108, Beaverton, OR 97006

January 24: North Marion County Small Business Fair, 5pm-8pm. 4910 Brooklake Rd NE, Brooks, OR 97305

January 31: North Marion County Small Business Fair, 9am-12pm. 120 E Lincoln St, Woodburn, OR 97071

Feb 1: SBA Partner Event (virtual), SCORE webinar: Marketing Fundamentals, 5:30 - 7 p.m. EST

February 9: Latino Business Alliance Café y Pan Dulce (Salem), 8 - 9 a.m.

February 10: OAME CAEPT networking meeting, 7:30 - 9 a.m.

February 14: SBA webinar, Proving Your Business Idea Works, 12 - 12:30 p.m. EST 

February 16: Latino Business Alliance Café y Pan Dulce (Woodburn), 8 - 9 a.m.

February 24: OAME Coffee and Issues networking meeting, 7:30 - 9 a.m. 

March 23: Business Expo West details forthcoming

If you’ve spent time on websites for state agencies in Oregon, you may have noticed this button. Clicking the Need Help button will take you to our website that explains how we can help, as well as the circumstances under which we can or can’t assist you.

It’s not unusual for businesses to click this button thinking that they’re contacting the agency whose website they were visiting, but it’s actually us, at the Office of Small Business Assistance. We’re here to help you deal with those agencies, but we aren’t part of any of them: we’re with the Secretary of State’s Corporation Division. If you find yourself with an issue you’ve genuinely tried to resolve, and you just aren’t getting anywhere, please reach out to us.

Agency Spotlight: 2023 Legislative Session The Legislative Assembly—the formal name of Oregon’s state legislature—convened on January 17 for its 2023 regular session. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, meaning it consists of two chambers. The House of Representatives has 60 members elected to two-year terms. The Senate has 30 members elected to serve four-year terms. The Legislative Assembly holds annual regular sessions. Because 2023 is an odd-numbered year, the legislature will meet for a “long session” that could last up to 160 days. During this long session, the legislature will approve the two-year state budget for the 2023-2025 biennium, which runs from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025. In even-numbered years, the legislature meets for a "short session" that lasts up to 35 days. A hallmark of Oregon’s legislative process has been its strong committee system. Most of the discussion and revisions of bills and other measures happen in committees. Compared to other state legislatures, the Oregon Legislative Assembly stands apart because legislation passed out of committees cannot be amended on the floor of either chamber. Rather, the whole House or the whole Senate will vote on a measure as received from the committee that passed it. For this reason, it’s important for Oregonians to share their thoughts with lawmakers while legislation is in the committee stage. The nonpartisan Legislative Policy and Research Office supports Oregon’s lawmakers and the legislative process by staffing legislative committees. LPRO staff, in turn, support Oregonians in engaging with lawmakers and in the legislative process. LPRO has a Public Engagement and Testimony page to assist Oregonians who want to learn more about the legislature’s work. This includes resources to help you find lawmakers, committees, and proposed legislation. It also provides information on how to testify before a committee or submit written testimony for the official legislative record.