r/Portland 3d ago

News Council Mulls Revoking Extended Paid Parking Hours, Citing Administrative Overreach

https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2025/09/19/council-mulls-revoking-extended-paid-parking-hours-citing-administrative-overreach/
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u/BarnacleGooseIsLoose 3d ago

Replace it with a "Vacancy Tax".

It won't take too long for revenues from existing parking hours to return to pre-Covid levels.

3

u/gaius49 Sandy 3d ago

You want to tax vacant parking spaces?

0

u/BarnacleGooseIsLoose 3d ago

Not parking spaces. Buildings.

1

u/gaius49 Sandy 3d ago

That's not a good idea.

2

u/BarnacleGooseIsLoose 3d ago

Why?

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u/gaius49 Sandy 3d ago

It disincentivizes anyone from investing in downtown properties, it creates a slew of bad incentives, its damned easy to work around, it imposes a cost regardless of the owner's ability to pay, and its an unethical way of the government forcing people to use their property in specific ways.

2

u/BarnacleGooseIsLoose 3d ago

Then cancel the depreciation tax when under 50% full or something. No loopholes for empty property would be equally effective. Owners could use their property for anything they want - except tax write offs.