Portland City Council Considers Arts Tax
Submitted by Steve on June 28, 2012
From Jim Redden at the Portland Tribune:
The City Council will consider placing a measure on the ballot to collect a $35 tax on Portlanders to help fund school art programs and non-profit art organizations on Wednesday.
If approved by the council, the measure would be placed on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. If it is ratified by a majority of voters, the tax would apply to all city residents 18 and older who earn incomes above federal poverty guidelines.
The tax would be collected by the city Revenue Bureau, which would distribute the money to school districts within Portland and the Regional Arts and Culture Council. RACC would distribute the funds it receives to qualified non-profit art organizations that agree to increase the people they reach.
If approved by the voters, the tax – called the Arts Education and Access Income Tax – would apply to 2012 earnings and the earnings in all years after that.