Empty Homes Tax would create an invasive new bureaucracy collecting residents’ data with little promise of revenue.
An Empty Homes Tax would be arduous and onerous because it requires households to fill out forms annually and legally self-attest they are occupying a home.A city only exists with tax revenues — and the collection of those taxes should be simple, streamlined and fair.
This new tax is contrary to private property rights and good tax policy. In the U.S., individuals have the right to live in any of the 50 states they can afford, with the opportunity to purchase or rent a dwelling and inhabit said dwelling as they wish. This creates a situation where neighbors are tattling on their neighbor’s home and the city would investigate. I don’t think we want a city where this type of neighbor-on-neighbor conflict could arise.
In 2022, voters in tax-friendly Santa Cruz rejected a $6,000 per year EHT due to these concerns. EHT went into effect in January 2024 for both Berkeley and San Francisco. San Jose considered EHT in 2019 but dismissed it due to complexity and costs.
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