Reforms coming for controversial Portland Arts Tax? • Oregon ArtsWatch
www.orartswatch.org
Portland City Council's president will soon propose reforming the city’s Arts Tax, which funds school arts teachers and nonprofit arts organizations. Smaller arts groups may lose out.
  • doug@lemmy.todayEnglish
    1·
    2 days ago

    I know someone who lives in unincorporated area between Milwaukie and PDX, and the arts tax still came for them. It’s such a backwards, makeshift, flat tax that I was begrudgingly fine with, but then to learn it wasn’t getting used and just sat there was so frustrating to learn.

    I mean at least it wasn’t going into someone’s pockets like some other guy who robbed us recently? But still, eesh.

    Yet another sadly-valid talking point for the right to throw back to the left about inept government alongside their invalid talking point so they can make arguments for privatization.

  • ThotDragon@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    Recently found out about the arts tax and was really stoked about it. Sad to hear the city has just been sitting on so much of it.

    • pdxfedEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      I’ll catch you up; the only objection that ever existed was that it was a regressive (flat tax with very low income threshold) and inefficient way to fund what almost no one disagreed needed more funding. It was always about the “how”.

      Instead of listening to the actual concerns, anyone who questioned it was labeled anti-education, anti-art and/or other inaccurate labels by stupid people who couldn’t comprehend that there are some critical pieces of adult life past “picking you ‘side’ and agreeing with it no matter what.”

      Zero surprise it was also incompetently distributed.