PORTLAND — Oregon’s Supreme Court has rejected the ballot title for an initiative petition that would change the way liquor is sold in the state.Grocery chains such as Fred Meyer and Safeway hope to privatize liquor sales in Oregon, where only state-regulated liquor stores are currently permitted to sell distilled spirits.
Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum certified a ballot title that includes the phrase “wholesale sales tax.”
Although the tax is on sales between wholesalers and retailers, the Supreme Court agreed with supporters of the initiative that voters might incorrectly think it’s a tax imposed at the point of a retail sale.
The court sent the title back to the attorney general for modification.
