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Bowser’s proposed real estate tax hikes look set to pass, even as D.C. Council chair blasts her tactics | Washington Business Journal

May 07, 2019
  • D.C. Policy Center

On May 7, 2019, D.C. Policy Center Executive Director Yesim Sayin Taylor was quoted in a Washington Business Journal article on reactions to Mayor Bowser’s proposed tax increases:

“Yesim Sayin Taylor, a close watcher of the budget process as the executive director of the D.C. Policy Center, believes that Bowser’s team is using affordable housing investments to obfuscate the true purpose of the tax increases.

In short, the council raised tax rates to prepare for the creation of Metro’s new dedicated funding stream, but the city didn’t need to dedicate it for that purpose until fiscal 2020. So the city spent it instead, and now the bill is coming due.

“All these revenue increases, they’re going to fill that gap,” Taylor said. “We’re told this is an ‘upside tax,’ where we’re asking developers and property owners to share in the upside of the good economy. But it’s not paying for housing, it’s paying for other stuff.”

Read more: Bowser’s proposed real estate tax hikes look set to pass, even as D.C. Council chair blasts her tactics | Washington Business Journal

Related: Bowser’s proposed tax hikes draw early condemnations from developers, property owners | Washington Business Journal

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D.C. Policy Center


Established in 2016, the D.C. Policy Center is a non-partisan research and policy organization committed to advancing policies for a strong and vibrant economy in the District of Columbia. Through rigorous research and collaboration, the D.C. Policy Center develops and tests policy ideas, disseminates its findings, and engages in constructive dialogue and debate.

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