This might trouble some as a misapplication of government authority — especially those who hold that property rights are too crucial to liberty to be violated.
Maybe 2026 is the year of the tax hike in a state where taxes are already an existential burden. Among the many proposed hikes is San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s call for up to a $15,000 annual levy on empty second homes in the city through a proposed June ballot measure. Whether this will help reduce the housing crisis in the city as advertised is an open question.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.
Empty home tax failed elsewhere — why try it here?
Sally C. Pipes
This might trouble some as a misapplication of government authority — especially those who hold that property rights are too crucial to liberty to be violated.
Maybe 2026 is the year of the tax hike in a state where taxes are already an existential burden. Among the many proposed hikes is San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s call for up to a $15,000 annual levy on empty second homes in the city through a proposed June ballot measure. Whether this will help reduce the housing crisis in the city as advertised is an open question.
Experiences elsewhere suggest it won’t.
Read the entire op-ed here.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.