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This is a small tax and should be considered a pilot program for an idea that's been around a long time. Are all of the criticism on here valid? We'll find out

This is a small tax and should be considered a pilot program for an idea that's been around a long time. Are all of the criticism on here valid? We'll find out soon enough. Will a tax like this actually change behavior in desired ways, or provide a useful amount of revenue? We'll find that out, too. But what this tax will not do is change the very nature of San Francisco or dramatically alter its business environment. The tax is just too small for that to be the case. It's a tiny addition to a vast and complex and ever-changing web of taxes and regulations that large businesses in SF have been successfully dealing with for generations.

echelon 6y ago
> But what this tax will not do is change the very nature of San Francisco or dramatically alter its business environment. Businesses are already leaving SF. If they haven't seen the writing on the wall, they're ignorant. SF has itself to blame. They squandered revenue, didn't fix real issues, and pandered to land owners. Businesses will move to more business friendly cities, and they will become more distributed - it's cheaper and easier to negotiate that way. SF is done.
- standardUser 6y ago
  "Businesses are already leaving SF" San Francisco has been a global epicenter of new business creation in the past couple decades. Some of the most massive corporations on the planet have come to and expanded in SF in that time. Office rents have skyrocketed as a result, as has new office construction. You're entitled to your own opinion, but don't lie.
  - echelon 6y ago
    > You're entitled to your own opinion, but don't lie. Don't be so accusational. I'm not lying. [1,2] > San Francisco has been a global epicenter of new business creation in the past couple decades. Some of the most massive corporations on the planet have come to and expanded in SF in that time. Don't ignore or discount change. Nothing stays the same forever. Companies are starting up elsewhere and plenty of SF headquarters are pulling up roots. [1] https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/2nd-most-valuable-U-S-startup-to-leave-SF-as-14558067.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/2nd-most-valuab... [2] https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2020/05/29/startups-ditch-offices-life-after-san-francisco.html https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2020/05/29/sta...

echelon 6y ago

> But what this tax will not do is change the very nature of San Francisco or dramatically alter its business environment. Businesses are already leaving SF. If they haven't seen the writing on the wall, they're ignorant. SF has itself to blame. They squandered revenue, didn't fix real issues, and pandered to land owners. Businesses will move to more business friendly cities, and they will become more distributed - it's cheaper and easier to negotiate that way. SF is done.

standardUser 6y ago
"Businesses are already leaving SF" San Francisco has been a global epicenter of new business creation in the past couple decades. Some of the most massive corporations on the planet have come to and expanded in SF in that time. Office rents have skyrocketed as a result, as has new office construction. You're entitled to your own opinion, but don't lie.
- echelon 6y ago
  > You're entitled to your own opinion, but don't lie. Don't be so accusational. I'm not lying. [1,2] > San Francisco has been a global epicenter of new business creation in the past couple decades. Some of the most massive corporations on the planet have come to and expanded in SF in that time. Don't ignore or discount change. Nothing stays the same forever. Companies are starting up elsewhere and plenty of SF headquarters are pulling up roots. [1] https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/2nd-most-valuable-U-S-startup-to-leave-SF-as-14558067.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/2nd-most-valuab... [2] https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2020/05/29/startups-ditch-offices-life-after-san-francisco.html https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2020/05/29/sta...