Santa Clara County loses revenue from Stanford’s property tax exemptions

The largest tax exempt entity in Santa Clara County is depriving neighboring cities of much-needed tax revenue, local leaders say.

Stanford University received more than $16.8 billion in tax exemptions last year for its various campus properties, nearly half of the $35.2 billion of property tax exemptions in the county, according to the Santa Clara County Assessor. This means there is less tax revenue to support local public schools, community colleges, special districts like VTA and county and city governments.