S.F. landlords, property owners sue to block vacancy tax

S.F. landlords, property owners sue to block voter-approved vacancy tax

Proposition M, “The Empty Homes Tax,” passed by 54.5% of voters in November, imposes a tax on property owners for each unit left vacant for more than 182 days in a given year, starting in 2024. It applies only to buildings with three or more units, not to single-family homes or duplexes.

The taxes start at $2,500 for units smaller than 1,000 square feet and go up to $5,000 for units over 2,000 square feet. They escalate over each subsequent year a unit is vacant, and later are adjusted according to the Consumer Price Index.

The measure’s goal was to help alleviate the city’s punishing housing crisis by motivating property owners to rent their units, according to proponents.

But the lawsuit said that was misguided. “The government cannot compel a property-owner to rent his or her property to third parties without violating” the Takings Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the lawsuit said.

Supervisor Dean Preston, who championed Prop. M, dismissed the case as a frivolous lawsuit filed by “real estate lobbyists” displaying “a great sense of entitlement when it comes to broadly-popular and essential reforms.”

“San Francisco voters delivered a clear mandate that it is completely unacceptable to have tens of thousands of vacant homes as more than 4,000 people are living on our streets,” Preston said in a statement.

Ah, so it’s actually about forcing property owners to rent to people who will probably destroy their property.

In any case, it it isn’t unused rental properties keeping the homeless on the streets. It’s mental illness, drug addiction, and the city’s cash and legal incentives.

所有跟帖： 

• Vacancy Tax... This Dem idea can come to a city near you... -冬前- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 12:01:44

• 支持收取vacant tax，空置房浪费社会资源，赞成提高vacant tax -ZeroSumGame- ♂ (484 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 12:55:14

• 小地主有3-unit multifamily 多的是。 -QinHwang- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 12:59:49

• 空着房子的多吗 -柠檬椰子汁- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 13:01:04

• 不知道为什么要空着。我要空两星期都觉得有点长。 -QinHwang- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 13:06:42

• 一批人付不起房租，一批人有房空置，这种社会不合理现象应该打击，美国立国精神是善待需要帮助的人 -ZeroSumGame- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 13:06:41

• 为什么要空着？比租给坏人好？ -QinHwang- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 13:07:59

• 我还以为你说的美国立国是按需分配呢。吓我一跳 -惨白的天使- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 14:11:42

• 原来如此，地主需要帮助找个愿意付房租的人 -周老大- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 16:14:35

• 一些人住大房子有空房间,一些人两人挤一间.所以该往人家家的空房间塞吗?为啥老盯着别人的私人财产想插一脚? -soldanella- ♀ (0 bytes) () 02/14/2023 postreply 00:06:06

• 空置是一种资源分配方式，不是浪费资源 -惨白的天使- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 14:10:42

• 这是选民通过的政策。好在美国有宪法。看此案会是什么结果。这ZeroSum不Game啦，哈。 -冬前- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 14:13:33

• 银行里存着不用的钱也是浪费，家里有大豪宅也是浪费，均贫富共产！ -greenfinger- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 14:32:42

• 电视上说旧金山已经放弃解决流浪汉的问题。洛杉矶新市长在努力。但政府盖的公寓都空着，没人住。 -QinHwang- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 13:14:12

• 收了空置税，你猜房租是升是降？ -惨白的天使- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 14:09:26

• 在成为底特律之前狂飙 -周老大- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 16:15:45

• 希望这个shit hole 早日成为底特律，自生自灭，省得毒瘤蔓延祸害他人。 -QinHwang- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 19:17:15

• 不，有个shithole, 随地大小便的人可能少些。 -周老大- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 19:24:43

• Something must be really bad that these owners rather -冬前- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 14:19:33

• Receive no rent than some rent....why they do that? Stupid? -冬前- ♂ (0 bytes) () 02/13/2023 postreply 14:21:36