That is only true when housing supply is unlimited and competition between landlords drives prices down. (In that case, housing stays cheap and there is no prob

That is only true when housing supply is unlimited and competition between landlords drives prices down. (In that case, housing stays cheap and there is no problem to solve.) When housing is limited, excess demand (competition among tenants) already pushes prices above the landlord’s costs. As a result, the landlord pockets an unearned profit. In such a situation taxing landlords does not change prices paid by tenants because they are already paying as much as the demand side of the market will bear. It just redistributes the profit toward public uses. For more about this basic idea, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_and_demand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_and_demand or your favorite high school economics textbook. Also see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_rent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_rent