The Taxman Cometh - Gross Receipts Tax Likely on November Ballot
7/2/2010 - Kevin Rose, Lindsay Petrone
Board of Supervisors President David Chiu wants to put a commercial rent tax for voter approval on the November ballot. The proposition also would revise the payroll expense tax to establish a progressive rate structure and reduce selected payroll expense tax rates. Proponents of the proposed commercial rent tax claim that this tax will create substantial revenue for San Francisco, approximately $24,500,000 in the first year, and that any additional costs to commercial landlords could be passed through to their tenants. Proponents also look to recover taxes from banks and insurance companies since they are exempt from the payroll tax. …
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Housing Element Update: Smart Growth Policies Take A Major Hit
6/25/2010 - Andrew J. Junius
The San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Center held a forum this week on smart growth over the next 30 years, which provided us with plenty to consider as we look to the future. We all know San Francisco’s population is growing and will continue to grow. Association of Bay Area Government’s Ken Kirkey actually quantified this trend: ABAG has set a target of 65,000 new housing units to be built in the City by 2035. Providing this amount of housing is supposed to be the goal of the 2009 Housing Element update, so does the latest version move us…
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