Once Again: Where's the Money?Marc Nortonbyline‚ Jun. 16‚ 2008A political strategy for passing a set of progressive revenue measures here in San Francisco, as Paul Hogarth recently wrote, "is still in the works." That comment should win the understatement-of-the-21st-Century Award. Some of us San Franciscans have been trying to tax the rich for years, with precious little success. Campaigns to make the landlords of downtown's skyscrapers pay for the huge amount of Muni service they get failed in both the 1980s and the 1990s. Supervisor Tom Ammiano's progressive revenue package, introduced back when he was a freshman supervisor in 1995, courageous as it was, brought him little more than grief and notoriety among the upper classes (although he did succeed in raising the hotel tax from 12% to 14%). |