Want to extend Prop. 30 tax increases?

by John Seiler | October 7, 2014 6:43 pm

You probably saw this one coming. Just two years ago Gov. Jerry Brown and his union allies hoodwinked voters into passing Proposition 30[1], $7 billion in tax increases. Most of the taxes hit “millionaires,” which in California New Math means anyone making more than $250,000 a year — still the middle-class in mega-expensive California, albeit at the higher end.

The tax was promised to be “temporary.” Now Democrats are seeking to extend it, the Bee reported[2]:

“The issue, arising now in interviews, candidate questionnaires and debates, is likely to become a major point of controversy in Sacramento in the run-up to 2016.”

Here’s the actual title of Prop. 30, as prepared by Attorney General Kamala Harris:

“Temporary Taxes to Fund Education. Guaranteed Local Public Safety Funding. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.”

The Argument in Favor [3] in the official guide sent to state voters was written by:

“JENNIFER A. WAGGONER, PresidentLeague of Women Voters of California
“DEAN E. VOGEL, PresidentCalifornia Teachers Association
“KEITH ROYAL, President California State Sheriffs’ Association.”

They solemnly promised us:

“To protect schools and safety, Prop. 30 temporarily increases….Prop. 30’s taxes are temporary…. Prop. 30 asks those who earn the most to temporarily … All new revenue is temporary: Prop. 30’s taxes are temporary….”

Yep, they used “temporary” four times in their argument.

And as we predicted here on CalWatchDog.com, Prop. 30 revenues ended up being eaten by state pension payments, with only a trickle going to the kids in the schoolrooms.

My guess is the extension will pass. If the economy is doing well, they’ll credit Prop. 30 with stabilizing the state’s finances and laying the foundation of growth. If the economy has tanked, they’ll use the same arguments as in 2012, that Prop. 30 is needed to prevent massive cuts in education.

No matter that Prop. 30 remains part of a high-tax, anti-business, jobs-killing machine that has imposed on Californians the nation’s highest poverty rate[4].

As the great Nobel Prize economist Milton Friedman quipped, “Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program” — especially a “temporary” tax.

 

 

Source URL: https://calwatchdog.com/2014/10/07/want-to-extend-prop-30-tax-increases/

---