PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Thousands of high-earning taxpayers in the Portland area are poised to receive notices after failing to pay for a 2021 Metro tax funding homeless services.
In December 2022, Oregon Department of Revenue released a list of taxpayers who had not paid their Metro Supportive Housing Services taxes by the April 2022 deadline, according to Metro spokesperson Nick Christensen.
Portland Revenue Division sent notices to about two percent of the region’s taxpaying households that bring in an individual income above $125,000 or household income above $200,000. Those who do not meet this criterion, or who have already paid the tax, will not receive a letter from the city.
More than 41,000 people filed and paid the tax for 2021. However, Christensen said the number of those who failed to pay is yet to be completely calculated. He did tell KOIN 6 News that the number of notices that have gone out is about 20,000.
The discrepancy has raised concerns over tax return software such as Intuit, a parent company of several software options. The company shared that some options included the Metro tax while others did not.
TurboTax’s 2022 software for the 2021 returns did not initially include the Metro tax.
Christensen said the Metro Supportive Housing Services tax was a region-wide measure, which held the support of 58 percent of the region’s voters in 2020.
In its first 18 months, the Metro Supportive Housing Services fund brought 2,300 people into permanent supportive housing, which includes services like health care, job placement and case management.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.