San Francisco Proposition L
Additional Business Tax on Transportation Network Companies and Autonomous Vehicle Businesses to Fund Public Transportation
This measure would place a graduated tax ranging from 1% to 4.5% on the revenue ride-hailing and robotaxi companies garner in San Francisco. The tax, which would take effect in January and apply to all such businesses that record at least $500,000 in revenue from offering their services in The City, would be paid annually.
Money generated from it would be used to fund San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency operations, including maintaining or expanding Muni service to public schools, libraries and parks, as well as its overall service. It would also be used to maintain or expand the agency’s discount fare programs for seniors, children, students, lower-income people and people with disabilities.
Argument for: Muni is a critical and well-regarded public resource that many San Franciscans depend on to get around The City. But with pandemic-related emergency funding running out, the agency is facing a huge structural deficit that could hit $240 million in its 2027 fiscal year, and it’s warning it will need to cut service drastically to close its budget hole. Such a move could worsen traffic by encouraging people to drive or ride in cars and make it more difficult for many residents to get around. Prop. L would help avert some of those cuts by bringing in extra funding, and it would do so without putting an undue burden on ride-hailing — even with the tax, fees on such services would still be markedly lower than in Manhattan or Chicago.
Argument against: The measure doesn’t address the underlying mismanagement and lack of accountability that led to Muni’s financial problems. Because it would only fill a portion of the agency’s budget hole, the number of transit lines it saves would be minimal, and city residents will likely be asked again in the future to approve yet another tax to save the agency.
https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/politics/2024-sf-voter-guide-local-propositions-measures-on-ballot/article_97615262-7776-11ef-913a-ebf36660f047.html