Posts tagged Taxes
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The DC Council may cut property taxes, but many want higher taxes to pay for affordable housing
The DC Council votes Tuesday on legislation to cut residential property taxes, barely a week after Mayor Muriel Bowser publicly tested support for tax increases on expensive properties. Both proposals were presented as options to expand housing affordability. Keep reading…
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Top posts of 2018: Surprise! The Mortgage Interest Deduction is now even more of a handout to the wealthy
Now that taxes have been filed (phew), we’re starting to get a look at how changes to the tax code made by the Republican Congress are affecting key programs. Keep reading…
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The DC Council just cut $20 million for homeless services to fund tax breaks for commercial properties
On December 4, the DC Council moved to divert an estimated $20 million in new tax funds it had pledged for homeless programs to instead reduce the property tax rate for commercial entities valued at $10 million or more. That could have funded permanent supportive housing for about 730 people or long-term housing vouchers to about 1,000 very low-income families. Keep reading…
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How property tax exemptions amplify racial inequity
Housing defines how residents share the wealth created by a city and how they access its assets and amenities. Population growth and demographic changes make their imprints through the housing market, shaped by how quickly supply responds to changes in demand. Keep reading…
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National links: Charlotte is planning for a car-free future
Charlotte, North Carolina envisions a downtown without cars. A Portland paper asked residents for examples of scooter riders behaving badly, but didn't exactly get what they asked for. Proposed federal gas tax legislation would also tax bicycles, electric vehicles, and transit. Keep reading…
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How corporate tax incentives work and why cities spend so much on them
Amazon’s nationwide HQ2 contest has brought concerns about taxpayer-funded incentives for big businesses to the fore. Some of the region’s residents are furious that companies making millions of dollars a year would be offered millions more to come to town, rather than those funds being spent on social services. But how do these corporate incentives actually work? Keep reading…
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To make ride-hailing work for urbanism, here’s what needs to happen
Ride-hailing services like Uber, Lyft, and Via have grown meteorically since launching just a few years ago. Meanwhile, transit ridership nationwide is declining, and some studies posit a direct connection. As a result, many transit supporters have sharply criticized these services. Some fears are warranted, but ride-hailing is also offering people a valuable transportation service. Keep reading…
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DC may require ride-hailing companies to share data, but won’t encourage pooling
Cities have required taxis to give logs of their rides to regulators for a long time. New York, Toronto, Chicago, Seattle, and others ask for taxi-like data from ride-hailing companies such as Uber, Lyft, and Via. Now, DC might join them. However, it won't follow through on an earlier proposal to encourage carpooling on these ride-hailing services. Keep reading…
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Surprise! The Mortgage Interest Deduction is now even more of a handout to the wealthy
Now that taxes have been filed (phew), we’re starting to get a look at how changes to the tax code made by the Republican Congress are affecting key programs. One of these, the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID), is a provision that doesn’t achieve its purported goal to increase homeownership and also skews its benefits towards richer households. Keep reading…
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DC must put a price on greenhouse gas emissions to cut pollution, advocates say
Advocates of cutting carbon pollution rallied outside the offices of the DC Council and the mayor last week to call for legislation that puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions. Keep reading…