Measure P: Mountain View approves 'head tax' aimed at Google, big tech
The Salesforce Tower held its grand opening in San Francisco on May 22, 2018. It's now the tallest building in the city with 62 stories, standing 1,070-feet tall.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (BCN) - Mountain View’s controversial “head tax” measure, which would dramatically raise business taxes on Google and its other large tech employers, headed to victory victory garnering nearly 70 percent of the vote.
As of Wednesday morning with 98 precincts reporting, Measure P had 8,370 yes votes compared to 3,724 votes.
The "head tax" will impose a sliding scale cost for business licenses based on the size of each company. The tax is expected to collect almost $6 million, with nearly half of that sum coming from Google, the city's largest company.
A company with a single proprietor would pay $75 for a license, while a company as large as Google would pay up to $584,195 with an additional $150 for each employee over 5,000.
The city says 80 percent of revenue will be directed toward transportation projects, 10 percent toward affordable housing and 10 percent for flexible community use.
San Jose, Redwood City and Sunnyvale already have a similar tax, while the hotly contested "Apple tax" in Cupertino was postponed for more planning in June.