"It Makes Zero Sense": After Taxing Soda, Philadelphia Passes "Construction Tax"

What better way to encourage the creation of so-called "affordable" housing than to impose an onerous tax on new construction? While that approach might appear counterproductive, it's exactly how the Philadelphia City Council has chosen to try to alleviate the city's affordable housing crisis. Instead of easing restrictive zoning laws, the city council has proposed a 1% tax on new construction that council members say will finance affordable housing elsewhere.

It brings to mind an employment tax recently passed by the Seattle City Council with a similar goal of providing more servicesto the city's homeless (whose numbers will no doubt expand as more jobs are eliminated).