Mayor Charlie Hales' office announced Monday that the Portland City Council will consider amending the

, which has been blasted as being regressive, this month.

Every Portlander 18 or older 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 pay for Portland-area elementary school arts teachers and provide grants for local art institutions.

"As written, any Portland resident with any income -- living in a household above the poverty line -- has to pay the $35 annual arts tax," a press release from Hales' office reads. "So in a household that is above the poverty line, a teenager who made $10 last year dog-sitting is expected to pay $25 of that $10 to the arts tax."

The release then quotes Hales: "No one crafting this tax intended this to be the rule. This is just silly. And we need to move right now to address the Law of Unintended Consequences."

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To address this problem, the City Council will consider an emergency ordinance March 27 that would create an income threshold of $1,000. The change would take place immediately, and the Revenue Bureau would refund those who fall into that category but have already paid.

Jessica Jarratt Miller, the executive director of the Creative Advocacy Network, which helped pass the new tax, said she thought the change was appropriate.

"It's a very positive change that I have no concerns about whatsoever," she said. "This tax was not built to thrive on the backs of 18 year olds. ... I would be surprised if we see any real revenue loss at all."

The tax has also been criticized for hitting low-income seniors as well as others with limited incomes. Somebody living on $12,000 in Social Security payments a year, for example, would still be required to pay the $35.

Dana Haynes, Hales' spokesman, said further changes might be considered down the road, but this would be the only change made for the current billing period.

For her part, Jarratt Miller said she is open to further tweaks. After the first collection period, she said the city will know more about who is paying and how certain aspects could be reworked.

"As we move forward," she said, "if there are ways we can make it fairer to people who have little income, I think that's a positive thing we can do."

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