PROP 72
PROPOSITION 72: Rainwater Capture Systems Excluded from Property Tax Assessments Amendment
Article XIII of the California State Constitution requires water capture systems to be assessed for value because they're considered new construction.
A YES vote means that any property adding a rainwater capture system would not see its value affected, meaning two things:
- the homeowner's property taxes would not go up
- the homeowner would not be able to value the property higher when selling it because of the improvement
Currently, your friendly neighborhood county assessor considers rainwater capture systems analogous to building a casita or a garage or a swimming pool.
Other ballot propositions dating back to 1980 have codified property tax exclusions for items like solar panels, fire sprinklers, earthquake safety improvements, and wheelchair ramps.
It should be obvious that environmentalists would support this measure, because the more homeowners become equipped to capture and use rainwater, the less water per capita municipalities need to draw from river ecosystems. Right now the expense of setting up rainwater capture systems, coupled with the resulting rise in property tax, discourages construction. Exempting rainwater capture systems from permitting in 2012 didn't do enough to incentivize people.
Prop 72 would greatly benefit the residents of municipalities like Santa Cruz, where water use is severely restricted. Proponents point to thirsty Australia, where one-third of homes now employ rainwater collection systems.
The scarcity of water and the likelihood of ongoing or even worsening drought conditions long term makes Prop 72 fairly uncontroversial. Republicans do not oppose the measure, presumably because it's a tax cut. No one in Sacramento voted against it.
#YesOn72 #Prop72
