Vancouver, BC passed something like this a few years ago - it’s a 20% tax on all non-resident home purchases. It has actually stopped house prices from rising so fast, but there are still a bunch of empty homes.
Sounds like the tax is too low then. If the vacancy tax is high enough, landlords will have no problems finding a tenant. This is vancouver and sf we are talking about, snap your fingers and you will find a tenant if the price is right. Too many greedy people.