Readers respond: A small sales tax for a better city

I must wonder why Portland has not backed a 1% straight sales tax after reading the most recent editorial in The Oregonian/OregonLive (Editorial: Honeymoon’s already over for new city officials, Jan. 19).

St. Paul, Minnesota, for instance, implemented a 1% sales tax in 2024, according to a simple search. Over the next 20 years, it is expected to raise $1 billion. That would significantly reduce Portland’s anticipated deficit, amounting to an additional $50 million annually.

There are 304,000 people living in St. Paul. With a population of 630,000, Portland may benefit more from a 1% sales tax. I concur that there is no better tax, but it appears that most people would find the conflict about how to use the city’s resources even more upsetting.

In the same way that the Portland Clean Energy Fund legislation exempts some things from its gross-receipts tax, we may shield lower-income people from the tax’s effects by exempting some necessities. Due to their higher price points and more frequent purchases, the tax may disproportionately affect those with higher incomes. For every $1 spent, we would have to pay one penny in taxes. It would only cost a few cents more to get a Starbucks coffee! For a better city, we can do it. One of the five states without a state sales tax is Oregon. Now is the moment. Let’s test it out with a small sales tax in Portland.

Sandra Ericson, Portland

Visit regonlive.com/opinion to read further letters to the editor.

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