A store in downtown Oakland sits vacant in 2024. Retail vacancies in the city are falling, but remain a problem. Measure C would give some small businesses a one-year holiday from gross receipts taxes. 

It’s not easy doing business in Oakland.

The city has some of the highest taxes on businesses in the Bay Area. Numerous cafes and restaurants have closed in recent years, from Blue Bottle Coffee to Lost and Found bar to In-N-Out. Retail vacancies have improved since the pandemic, but remain a problem, especially in the downtown area. Office vacancy rates are at a staggering 28.3%, translating into fewer workers around during business hours to spend money. Car break-ins, retail theft and other threats to public safety keep customers away.

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In response, Measure C on the city’s June primary ballot, also known as the Oakland Business Relief Program, proposes a one-year business tax “holiday” for 2027 to help some categories of small business — including retail sales, groceries, business and personal services, recreation and entertainment, and manufacturing. Measure C would eliminate gross receipts taxes for........

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