Portland’s controversial new arts tax looked like it was going to die last fall—thanks to some deeply flawed polling that showed it in trouble, and a concerted push by the Oregonian and others to stick in the knife and then give it a twist or two for good measure. But then it surprised everyone, passing with remarkably robust support (62 percent), before largely dropping off the city’s radar.
Until tax season, apparently. The city’s complicated $35-per-income-earner tax is coming due this April 15, and officials in Portland’s revenue bureau today unveiled a new website, artstax.net, they really, really, really want you to use to pay your bill. And the city really, really, really wants you to go online by March 25, so it can scrub your name off the list of households due to receive a paper form in the mail.
As Willamette Week has reported, the city anticipates spending more than $1 million of the tax’s expected $9 million in revenues collection. So, yeah, every bit saved on postage counts.
“We tried to create a convenient payment option that helps avoid the cost and environmental impact of mailing paper forms, thus maximizing the money to local schools and non-profits,” Revenue Bureau director Thomas Lannom said in a release.
The site comes a little more than a week after KATU kicked up a modest fuss by asking how things were moving along all these months after election day. The station was something would be up by March 4.
As for how much you owe and whether you have to pay or not? Good luck getting out of it. Anyone who earned taxable income in 2012—even if that income came from unemployment checks—has to pay. Unless, that is, your household income fell under the federal poverty line. Which it might have. But probably not, since the poverty line is comically low. You can also try to lie. But that would make you a bad person. So don’t.
Update 5:15 PM: I’ve asked the Revenue Bureau about this comment from Erik…
Heads up: The website won’t accept debit cards, and using a credit card adds a dollar fee.
I’m going to wait until after the inevitable court challenge. That way, the city won’t have to waste postage sending my check back.
Yeeeeaaah, I’ll get right on that.
If the money actually went to the arts community that needs it, I would pay this happily despite falling under the federal poverty level. But I don’t consider the Schnitz and their $50 tickets and building the size of my neighborhood part of that.
Count me as another who voted no because the Oregon Symphony doesn’t need my subsidy, and I was pissed off about the campaign lying about the amount of money going into music in schools.
This sort of craven, whatever-it-takes politics is not a good look for Portland.
Also, I bought a ticket to a PCS show this year. Can I just show my receipt and be done with it?
@Lithell Are you familiar with the Arts for All program that provides $5 tickets to a lot of local arts nonprofit performances (including many in the Schnitzer) for Portlanders with SNAP assistance (i.e. with an Oregon Trail card)? Worth looking into if you are interested- http://racc.org/artsforall/
Voted yes, but did not realize they’d be doing this dumbfuck way of paying it. I had assumed it would be conveniently tacked onto my property taxes like all your other pinko commie goodies.
I guess I should be happy not just homeowners are footing this bill.
Is there any specific Portland ordinance that prevents a person from payment this tax in person in cash, specifically, coins?
Carry, yes I am. Thanks for being helpful! I love that program and think it is a wonderful idea, but it does not remedy the fact that so much of the monies are going towards a minority of the richest, whitest, most overproduced and culturally bland art in the city.
If it were going to the Everett Station Lofts, or to a micropublishing grants program, or even Backspace, these are more functionally vital to the actual arts community here than the Oregon Symphony, or the Oregon Ballet Theatre, and the money would go so much further too, because they both need it and are not trying to fashion gigantic overblown productions for the masses in lavishly decorated prime real-estate buildings that could house 50+ galleries.
Wait, what? I thought the money was for arts in schools. FOR THE CHLDREN. What are you guys talking about with this Schnitzer and symphony business?
Lannom is a good man, but this tax sucks ass.
Regressive as all hell, while by its’ structure doesn’t allow maximum amount going to the schools…
and why don’t we trust educators to divy up funds as they see fit for a proper education anyway?
Sure, I’ll pay the damn thing, but Thomas is getting my cash at the last possible minute.
I voted no on this because it has such a high cost to implement, why in the hell did anyone vote for a tax that is going to spend 10% of what it collects on a new bureaucracy??? I would have voted for an arts property tax, but this is just silly.
I voted no, but, you know what? It passed, so I’m going to pay it without whining. Do the same, or join a wagon train headed for Beaverton.
I voted yes and have already paid the $35. I’m not complaining. Would it be nice for more money to go to school? Yes. But am I happy that the Oregon Symphony and other large orgs are getting money too? Yes. Portland needs more culture, and whether that comes in the form of kids producing art in school, hippies slinging Bob Marley paintings at Last Thursday, or giving increase funding to the Oregon Ballet Theater, it is all a good thing.
Really, all of you naysayers are looking a gift horse in the mouth. We live in a city that passed a tax increase for the arts! How fucking cool is that?!?
FYI, it’s ANY income in 2012, not taxable income. The City doesn’t really care where the income came from or how you got it, they’re counting everything.
I hope this boondoggle– and it really can’t possibly turn out any other way at this point– teaches a few Portlanders to actually read up on the laws they’re stupidly voting for:
“PLEASE! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!”
“DURR, I LIKE ARTS!”
Does the city have an income tax enforcement team? How are they planning on enforcing compliance?
It’s the itax all over again