Some concerns, most notably the question of tax equality, are not addressed in your editorial on the homeless crisis and Metro’s Supportive Housing Services personal income tax (Editorial: Fix homeless services program now or face a vote box defeat, Jan. 26). Only single people with incomes over $125,000 and married couples with incomes over $200,000 are eligible to use this personal income taxi. However, the issue of homelessness affects everyone. This is a problem that affects everyone who lives in the metro region, not simply those who make more than a particular amount of money. Everyone should pay their fair part in order to ensure tax justice.
Higher-income people are more likely to flee the metro area when taxes are restricted to those with higher incomes.People are also deterred from relocating to the area by such taxes. In the end, this produces a vicious cycle: either the services for which the tax was intended will no longer receive enough financing, or those who remain and are subject to the tax will pay more taxes to maintain the same service levels.
Higher-income people leaving will have a detrimental effect on funding for all programs with a similar structure, including Multnomah County’s Preschool for All, as well as Metro’s Supportive Housing Services program.
Portland’s Jerry Eckstein
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