Rainwater capture property tax exclusion
Excluding rainwater capture systems from property tax assessments is another unnecessary cut to property taxes and the schools that depend on them.
Prop 72 would exclude rainwater capture systems from property tax assessments.
While rainwater capture is environmentally beneficial, excluding these systems from property tax assessments is another unnecessary cut to property taxes and the schools that depend on them. California’s Prop 13 has already starved schools and local governments of property tax revenue; we shouldn’t continue to erode this tax base further.
If we want to encourage rainwater capture, there are better policy tools available---such as rebates or tax credits---that don’t permanently reduce the property tax base. The environmental benefit of rainwater capture doesn’t justify carving out yet another property tax exemption.