Ballot Measure 5 was a landmark piece ofdirect legislation in theU.S. state ofOregon in 1990. Measure 5, an amendment to theOregon Constitution (Article XI, Section 11), established limits on Oregon'sproperty taxes onreal estate. Its primary champion and spokesman wasDon McIntire,^[1] a politically-activeGresham health club owner who would go on to lead the Taxpayers Association of Oregon.

Property taxes dedicated for school funding were capped at $15 per $1,000 of real market value per year and gradually lowered to $5 per $1,000 per year. Property taxes for other purposes were capped at $10 per $1,000 per year. Thus, the total property tax rate would be 1.5% at the end of the five-year phase in period.^[2] The measure transferred the responsibility for school funding fromlocal government to the state, to equalize funding.

The measure was passed in the November 6, 1990general election with 574,833 votes in favor, 522,022 votes against. It was and remains one of the most contentious ballot measures in Oregon election history.

Although measure numbers were recycled prior to the turn of the century, the effect of this measure on the state was significant enough that when Oregonians speak ofMeasure 5, they are usually referring to the specific measure that narrowly passed in 1990. Measure 5 is often seen as the beginning of theOregon tax revolt. One effect of the measure was that funding for local schools was shifted from primarily local property tax funds to state funds.^[3] With this, it led to a general equalization of funding between districts as funds are now given to districts based on the number of students in each district.^[3] Schools with higher value property in their districts previously could fund local schools at a higher rate than more economically depressed areas.

Passage of the measure and the limits led to some discussion of eliminating county services inMultnomah County by combining them withPortland city services orMetro. It also led to talks of merging Multnomah,Washington, andClackamas counties into one large urban county for the Portland metro area.^[4]

The measure has remained controversial ever since its passage. Oregon remains one of only five states without a state-levelsales tax, the others beingAlaska,Delaware,Montana, andNew Hampshire. Furthermore, the measure is blamed for cuts in school programs, the budget crises of 2002 and 2003 and cuts to statewide public safety programs, including deep cuts to the Oregon State Police which never fully recovered from 50% staffing reductions. Many critics say that then-GovernorBarbara Roberts' warning that Measure 5's passage would lead to massive chaos has been borne out. Supporters defend the measure as necessary to curb government spending excesses.

Measure 5 was followed up withMeasure 47 in 1996 andMeasure 50 in 1997. Measure 47 limited the growth of a property's assessed value to 3% maximum per year to combat local governments' raising assessed values to make up the difference in the rate they could charge.^[2] Measure 50 clarified that measure.

• 1978 California Proposition 13

• Oregon Initiatives, Referenda and Recalls, 1988-1995
• Wentz, Patty (May 2000)."The Ballot Measure that Ate Oregon".Willamette Week. Archived fromthe original on 2005-11-24.
• The Oregon Constitution
• Oregon Taxpayers Union

• Initiatives in the United States
• 1990 Oregon ballot measures

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata