[snapplebobapple]

This is why we should be charging taxes based on some combination of land value/servicing cost (or just straight land value if we calculated that as if the land were maximally utilized for its given zoning and zoned everything appropriately densely).

We got too enamored with sticking it to rich people because they are rich and build opulent things rather than focusing on charging rich people for the things they do that negatively impact the rest of the city and that has very little to do with how opulent their mcmansion is and very much to do with the fact that it's sitting on a large lot, with large frontage that increases the cost of delivering all services to everyone.

If we did this the change would go something like this: That 50's era bungalow on a inner city lot would be zoned for a lot more units (4-10 depending on lot size and other considerations that might allow 4+ stories to be built) and it's taxes would go from say 3500 under the old system to 8000-12000 which would let them choose to live in low density and pay for it, or sell to a developer, develop themselves. At the same time the mcmansion would see a smaller change in their property taxes and may be slightly higher or lower depending on lot utilization, or may have an opportunity to subdivide and develop what was once the landscaped garden area into more density to lower their tax bill under what it was before.