Portland mayoral candidate Charlie Hales proposed a state sales tax to support the public school system.
Portland mayoral candidate Charlie Hales proposed a state sales tax to support the public school system.
Hales, a former city commissioner, made the proposal near the end of a debate on the city’s emerging software industry hosted by a downtown high tech company. Speaking about the years of budget cuts endured by the state’s school systems, Hales said it was well past time to address the issue head on.
In a statement issued after the debate, Hales said, “Our schools are being held together with duct tape and bake sales. Our property taxes are too high, we need a stable funding source and when my opponent was in the state legislature the situation got even worse. We have no choice but to have a discussion about a targeted sales tax, that exempts medicine & groceries so it doesn’t fall on the backs of the low income. It should be on the table of choices for the voters so our schools can finally get relief. In the meantime, as Mayor, I will continue to find funding to give kids in all of our districts a chance at a good education.”
Read more at The Portland Tribune.
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