Many dispensaries haven’t registered to pay pot sales tax

The clock is ticking for medical marijuana dispensaries selling recreational products. By rule, recreational marijuana tax payments are due monthly, starting in February.

“Before making their first payment, dispensaries must register with us so we can create a tax account for them,” Marijuana Tax Program Manager John Galvin said in Friday’s announcement. “It’s the law.”

As of now, 120 of the 309 dispensaries selling recreational marijuana, according to the Oregon Health Authority’s public list, still haven’t registered with Revenue. Also, only five of those 309 dispensaries have scheduled an appointment to remit the taxes they collected from customers in January.

Here’s what dispensaries need to know to stay compliant:
* They must register with Revenue before they can make a payment.
* Payments are due monthly. For cash payments, they must call (503) 945-8050 for an appointment at least 48 hours in advance.
* Returns are due quarterly.
* They must issue a receipt to every customer, showing the retail price and tax paid.

Dispensaries can set the price for their products, but the price must be determined prior to calculating the 25 percent tax. The temporary 25 percent tax is applied to the retail price of all recreational marijuana products sold by dispensaries through December 31, 2016.

For forms, registration, and frequently asked questions about the marijuana tax program, visit www.oregon.gov/dor /marijuana.

Visit www.oregon.gov/dor to get tax forms, check the status of your refund, or make tax payments; or call 1-800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish); 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon; or email, questions.dor@oregon.gov. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), call 1-800-886-7204.