City's new home office tax has freelancers split

My city just added a $50 monthly tax for home offices, and it's hitting freelancers hard. Some say it's unfair because we already cover our own internet and power bills. Others think it's fine since we use city roads and parks. Where do you all fall on this?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

kelly_ramirez967mo ago

I saw a news piece about a similar tax in Portland where freelancers basically said it double charges them. They already pay property taxes that fund roads, so adding a special fee just for working felt like a penalty. It made me wonder if cities even track how that extra money gets spent.

1

thomas4167mo ago

But has any city ever done a follow-up report showing these fees actually fixed what they claimed to? They always say it's for roads or services, but I've never seen a breakdown proving the new cash reduced potholes or cut wait times. It just vanishes into the general budget.

4

ivan9897mo ago

Portland's arts tax had the same tracking problem (nobody could say where that $35 actually went). It's why these fees feel like a slush fund instead of a real public service.

0