It’s a done deal. 

The so-called employee “head count tax” on Google and other businesses will go before the voters this fall. 

The success and explosive growth of companies like Google has put on a strain on city resources so this tax is seen as a way to get those companies to help solve the problems tha they helped create. 

In a unanimous vote, the Mountain View City Council has approved a November ballot measure asking residents to approve taxing businesses like Google, which has some 20,000 employees, between $9 and $149 per employee. 

“The idea is, we’re going to take money from the employers to spend on improving transit, primarily so the people who work here can afford to live here,” said Mountain View Mayor Lenny Siegel. 

The head tax would hit Mountain View’s 3,000+ businesses with a progressive flat-rate based on their size. 

A business with up to 50 workers would be charged $75. 

Google’s rate would be closer to $150 per employee. 

“Anything the government does these days is paid for by funds cobbled together from a variety of sources, what this does is give us our own little pot of money so we can start projects and then go looking for more money elsewhere,” said Mayor Siegel. 

The tax could raise as much as $6 million per year with Google accounting for roughly half that amount. 

The money would be spent on transit projects and affordable housing and homeless services. 

But critics worry it could chase employers away. 

“I think we’re helping the employers, I don’t know why they would leave, we have employers who are leaving because they cant find space here and can’t find employees… you know, there are those who will vote for this because they want to work with Google and there are those who will vote for it because they resent Google,” Mayor Siegel said. 

Google has not taken a position on the head tax, but an email from the company pointed out to KRON4 that they have given some $14 million to various Mountain View organizations in recent years. 

Despite that, the mayor says polling suggests the head tax ballot measure has the support of between 62 to 64 percent of voters. 

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:

>>MORE STORIES