A reminder that Hacker News has an "assume the strongest interpretation of one's argument" idea. (In case it's not clear, expanding with my thoughts below). Wh

A reminder that Hacker News has an "assume the strongest interpretation of one's argument" idea. (In case it's not clear, expanding with my thoughts below). What is the primary effect of rent control? Everyone renting before the enactment pays proportionally less in rent than those after enactment. What is the primary effect of Prop 13? Owners who purchased before 1978 pay proportionally less in property taxes than those who purchased after 1978. These are huge, (in my view) obvious parallels between the two. Both policies encourage the market to become sticky: renters won't leave, for fear of giving up their cheap rent as time goes own; for landowners, they are discouraged to sell, knowing an identical property would raise their annual property tax expenses. As property values go up, it further encourages landowners to hold, becoming a negative feedback loop on the housing supply.