The state’s largest county should lower key tax on high earners, governor says

Gov. Tina Kotek slammed Multnomah County’s

Preschool for All

tax earlier this month, raising concerns that the burden it places on high-income earners may be prompting them to

leave

the Portland area.

In a letter dated June 10, Kotek told county Chair Jessica Vega Pederson that she was concerned the preschool tax “is not responsive to the economic realities of 2025.” In the letter, first reported by

Willamette Week

, Kotek suggested reducing the tax rate to ease the burden on wealthy residents, or even pausing it until the county finds a more sustainable solution.