New payroll tax for Eugene to begin soon

It’s called the Community Safety Payroll Tax and collection was supposed to begin back in July of this year, but that got bumped to January of 2021.

Richard was*loved and will be greatly missed.

A new public safety tax will go into effect for businesses in eugene, starting the first of the year.

As kezi 9 news reporter kennedy dendy shows us... it's expected to bring in millions of dollars... and a lot of it will be used to improve public safety.

Front: it's called the community safety payroll tax and collection was supposed to begin back in july of this year...but that got bumped to january 2021--which is now right around the corner!

So here's what you need to know.

The tax was passed in june of 2019 by the eugene city council.

And it's expected to bring in 23.6 million dollars each year.

Brittany quick warner..

Of the eugene chamber... says the money will be worth it.

Brittany: "public safety is one of the top economic development issues for our community.

Most of the money will go to the eugene police department/ some of the money will also go to update the court system, and provide more social services.

But not everyone thinks this a good idea.

Phoner joe: "money is so tight right now that any added expense is a big deal.

We dont even have enough money to fully staff right now.

More than half of our staff is laid off."

The tax applies to employers, employees and those who are self- employed--if you work within eugene city limits.

But it all depends on how much money you make.

If you take a look on your screen, those who make minimum wage are exempt.

And there's a lower rate for those who make less than 15 dollars an hour.

Joe: "it just means one more challenge for small businesses and business owners."

Again, this tax goes into effect on january 1st of 2021.

Coming up on a special edition of kezi 9 news at 8, find out why some have concerns about this tax.

Reporting in eugene kennedy