Where I live (NC, USA) there was a big issue where commercial property owners have been able to reduce their property tax assessments, not on the basis of 'comparable sales' (like everyone else), but on the basis of the income derived from the property.
I can't say how widespread this practice actually is, but it's not unheard of. Apparently property tax rules are going to vary widely by jurisdiction, which country / which state or province / etc.
It would be absolute stupidity for a property owner to keep a property vacant solely to reduce the property tax assessment. Certainly there are some stupid rich people... but I doubt that the majority are that stupid. There must be some other explanation.
There’s one thing you can guarantee in America. If it puts the interests of high income people vs everyday income people, the policies favoring the rich will almost always win out.
Not the same because it does not depend on utilisation. Pretty much everywhere you see property taxes, but vacancy taxes are a lot more recent and I guess rare so far.
There are buildings that seem to purposefully keep commercial space vacant to devalue the building:
https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2021/09/10/trump-gets-anothe...