The latest appeal for property tax reform comes from former Portland city councilman Steve Novick. Read more…

My View: Let’s chip away at property tax inequity

Steve Novick

Friday, December 28, 2018

Excerpt:

A complete fix to Measure 50 would be difficult and very complicated, and polls on various proposals have never been encouraging. But there’s an important, limited fix that could pass.

In November, metro-area voters approved a property tax bond to build several thousand units of affordable housing.

Unfortunately, the people hit hardest by the tax bill — certainly in Portland, but doubtless other places as well — are the people who can least afford it. That’s because of the tax unfairness created by Measure 50, passed in 1997 — which can only be changed by a statewide vote.

For many years, state Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, has been a lonely voice calling for an effort to send voters a proposal to fix the problem. But earlier in 2018, Gov. Kate Brown promised to help him. And a recent poll shows that one idea to solve a significant part of the problem would have a chance of passing.

Steve Novick is a former Portland city commissioner; reach him at [email protected]. The opinions here are his own.