The Fair Share Tax Ordinance is a tax cut for small business and a revenue generator for the City. It was proposed on Oct. 8, 2026 by Councilors Green, Morillo, Avalos, Dunphy, Kanal, and Koyama Lane.
CPPW Executive Board has voted to support this ordinance.
More details about the ordinance and CPPW decision making after the jump.
What is the Fair Share Tax?
This additional revenue source is good for the services Portland provides and for us workers who provide those services.
The Fair Share Tax Ordinance cuts small business taxes by raising the Business License Tax (BLT) exemption from $75,000 in sales today ($100,000 next year) to $500,000. This will mean that about 18,000 small businesses will pay nothing. Affected businesses will see an average savings of around $900.
Details, FAQs, loads of background research here. This ordinance is not a silver bullet to the City’s revenue issue or to the issue of inequitable CEO pay in mega-corporations, but it’s a worthwhile move in the right direction!
CPPW Support
CPPW leadership was approached by Council for our support. Executive Board reviewed the ordinance, the background information, and reference our union internal process for decision making and endorsement.
This issue has precedent of past CPPW support.
Expanding the CEO to median worker ratio income tax was outlined in the revenue section of the Citywide Labor Budget Strategy in March 2026 that CPPW officially signed on to.
This issue aligns with CPPW values.
Values outlined in Section 1 our Constitution which instruct us to push back against inequities in the workforce and dismantle unjust systems, policy, and practices that further perpetuate inequities.
As the Fair Share Tax Ordinance moves forward, CPPW leadership will bring the topic to general membership meetings for discussion.
Media coverage
CPPW leadership participated in the ordinance press conference and Committee of the Whole hearing on Oct 8.