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Anti-Poverty Groups ID Property Taxes as Culprit in Affordable Housing Shortage
Rental apartments are assessed at far higher rates than houses, the Community Service Society and Progress and Poverty Institute find, while a major court case attacking inequities grinds on.
The organizations will be hosting a “birthday party” panel discussion Monday in conjunction with the report’s release, all part of an effort to prompt mayoral candidates to address a looming issue campaigns have conspicuously avoided. In 2017, frustrated by a lack of action, advocates and real estate groups behind Tax Equity Now filed a lawsuit challenging the system, charging it disproportionately affected racial minorities and perpetuated segregation. City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has been one of the most vocal politicians on this issue, has endorsed reforms including putting most residential properties into a single class and cutting rates on rental housing by 30% to match the levies on condos and co-ops and encourage more building.
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