Notices to pay up on Portland arts tax catch some off guard

Mar 08, 2013 (The Oregonian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Susan Coonz voted for Portland's new arts tax last November. She has kids in school and thinks the arts are important. But she hardly noticed the postcard from the city's Revenue Bureau asking her to pay up.

"It almost got thrown away before I read it," the 39-year-old Southeast Portland resident said.

She's not the only one. Though voters approved the $35-a-person tax by a wide margin, reminders that residents have to hand over the cash by April 15 are catching some off-guard. Others are angry to discover they're not exempt.

The Portland Revenue Bureau sent out more than 270,000 notices starting late last month asking recipients to pay online. As of Thursday, 2,781 phone calls had flooded the bureau, with most falling into one of three categories, said director Thomas Lannom: from those wondering if they have to pay, those who don't want to pay, and those without a computer or who don't want to pay online.

"That's about what we thought we'd get," Lannom said.

Every Portlander over 18 who makes any sort of income -- be it from rental property, a job, Social Security, or some other source -- must pay the tax, with exceptions for certain very low-income residents. The money, about $12 million a year, will go to help Portland-area elementary schools keep arts teachers and will provide grants for local art institutions.

The city, which estimates about three in four Portland residences has Internet access, is trying to direct people to an online payment system. Those who haven't paid by the end of the month will get an old fashioned mail-in bill.

Still, even for those who think they're pretty tuned in, confusion is common.

"I vaguely remember getting" the postcard, said Tiffany McClean, a 35-year-old Northeast Portland resident. "I think." "I read the paper. I'm on the Internet all the time," said Tamara Sullivan, 43. "I haven't heard anything. I should probably check my mail." Barbara Lee, a 73-year-old downtown resident, said, "I don't check my mail very often," adding wryly, "I cannot tell you how many unexpected bills I get." She's a fan of the arts, and she'll pay. But, she said, she'll wait for the paper bill. She doesn't get online much.

Tom Griffin, a 61-year-old Northwest Portland resident, doesn't think he got a postcard.

"I had no idea," he said. "I watch the news every day, but I had no knowledge of a $35 tax." McClean said a broader public education campaign might have been a good idea. Lannom doesn't disagree.

"We believe 45 days is adequate notice," Lannom wrote in an email. "But we do wish more notice was possible." The bureau had several steps to coordinate first: "database, website, web application, ability to take credit card and (electronic check), rules, legal review, staff hiring, staff training, accounting procedures -- the list is long." "Had the City mailed out tax notices before the necessary customer-service infrastructure was in place," he wrote, "Portlanders would have called in response to that information and would have been frustrated by our inability to assist them." -- Ryan Kost; on Twitter ___ (c)2013 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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