CA: Best State Billionaires Can Buy
Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, has come out with a powerful call to arms in opposition to a half dozen ballot initiatives funded by billionaire California crony capitalists. The tax increases often are designed to feather their own pocketbooks.
Having already achieved the dubious distinction of being dubbed Taxifornia, the state of California infamously has America’s worst credit rating, second worst unemployment rate, third worst taxes and worst state business climate. Raising taxes through the state initiative process for the benefit of special-interest billionaires seems like economic suicide.
In spite of its already brutal tax burden on individuals and businesses, the California state budget is estimated to have a $13 billion deficit over the next 18 months. Gov. Jerry Brown last week announced his “leadership of California” is behind a state ballot initiative that would raise taxes $7 billion per year through increased income and sales taxes.
Grass-Roots vs. Billionaires
The Jarvis group’s founder, Howard Jarvis, pioneered the grass-roots use of the initiative process in 1978 to pass restrictions on rapidly escalating local property tax rates. Because this people’s movement passed Proposition 13, California’s real estate taxes are only the 18th worst in the nation. This is why the Howard Jarvis Taxpaayers Association became so appalled that special interest billionaires are now highjacking the initiative process for their own benefit. Jon Coupal offers as examples:
“Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund manager with major investments in renewable energy, is promoting a $1.1 billion tax on out of state businesses with operations in California to fund renewable energy projects. His initiative would make California an even more hostile place for businesses to operate, likely kill jobs and raise consumer prices, while diverting taxpayer money to corporate welfare for tycoons such as himself. In 2010, Californians voters rejected the same tax increase on out of state businesses by a 58 percent to 42 percent margin
“Molly Munger wants to increase income taxes on everyone to raise $10 billion annually. Munger is the daughter of billionaire Charles Munger, a partner of Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway and is a Los Angeles civil rights lawyer. She has been credited for devoting some of her considerable fortune to support early childhood education, but she now seems intent on compelling everyone else to support the cause she has selected. Regardless of her good intentions, forcing taxpayers to cough up another $10 billion will be a substantial additional burden in a state that already ranks third highest in income tax rates….
“The Think Long Committee [is] funded by Nicolas Berggruen, who is often called ‘the homeless billionaire’ because he lives in hotels and does not own a home. Their initiative would raise taxes by $10 billion on all Californians by charging sales taxes on services, while reducing income taxes on the wealthy.”
Billionaires’ Paradise
The Think Long Committee, according to its Website, believes that California’s system of governance is broken. It states, “Meanwhile, decisive and unified leadership elsewhere in today’s world, notably in China, is building for the future.”
The leadership for the new worker’s paradise Berggruen seems to envision would require average Californians for the first time to pay a 6.75 percent sales tax every time they get a haircut, go to the drycleaners or pay an accountant to calculate their state tax rate.
Meanwhile, Mr. Berggruen would grant himself and other benevolent billionaires a 27 percent state income tax cut. To demonstrate that billionaire-money-talks-very-loud in California, Mr. Berggruen has recruited as spokespersons former governors Grey Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown.
Mr. Coupal acknowledges the range of motivation for billionaires to fund initiatives that “increase the tax burden on average Californians” may be for “using other people’s money to help what they believe are good causes, while, for others, it’s just good old fashioned greed — the measures they support will help themselves.” But he worries that the California initiative process, meant to allow the average citizen to stop special interests in the state legislature, has been corrupted by a small cadre of billionaires with special interests and their crony allies.
Jan. 5, 2012
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The super rich and government are almost always in alliance with one another. No doubt there are countless backdoor deals within this unholy alliance. Don’t believe me? Look at Wall Street – Capital Hill connection. Pay for play all the way. And if state governments go into default these billionaires take huge hits on their investments. Why not make the little people pay more as an insurance policy?? And whatever the billionaires pay in increased taxes there are hidden loopholes that you never hear about where they recoup those higher taxes plus interest. We are talking about 2 completely different playing fields. One for you. One for them. It’s always been that way. And it will always be that way.
Assemblyman Mike Morell is correct…we are leaving because we don’t want to pick up the tab….
On the face of things, Tom Steyer’s initiative might well qualify as a would-be act of crony capitalism in the making.
You slandering the others’ integrity just for sport?
Sales taxes on services? Just another impediment to free buying and selling, it’s more control and stranglehold on every man’s ability to work. The devil knows that many men will transgress for want of food and clothing. Like Esau for a pot of lentils. It’s all leading up to the enforcement of the mark of the beast.