General Election Tax Hikes!

Read Your Ballot Booklet. California is going to raise your taxes ,
Locally as well.

This WEEK I spent going through the CALIFORNIA GENERAL ELECTION booklet . Reading everything line by line as I do . We have so many crucial issues in this election . I have to say that the vast majority of the propositions this year are geared to raise taxes on all of us . This includes By a 7-0 vote, the board of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a government agency based in San Jose, moved ahead with placing the "Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program" local Measure B, which would extend an expiring parcel tax for an additional 15 years to fund programs aimed at reducing water contaminants and bracing for floods or other natural disasters. The measure was placed on the ballot by the Santa Clara Valley Water District. before Santa Clara County voters this fall.If the measure passes, the tax, currently $54 a year for the average home, would continue through 2029, increasing at 3 percent a year, rather than expiring in 2016. As a property tax payer I dread paying for something that in long run is not about money going for your safety but rather to the pockets of the CBO's of the Santa Clara Water District . Another problem is that San Jose is also trying to raise another set of taxes on us in the guise of "supporting education" as reported Starting with the statewide Proposition 30 – which would institute a temporary income tax hike for those making more than $250,000, in addition to a one-fourth cent increase on sales and use tax – the Council decided that the need for new revenue outweighs concerns about new taxes.The Council voted 9-2 to support the measure, based on the local objective “to ensure the necessary funding for front-line public safety.”While the bulk of revenue from the new taxes would go to education, the Council report states that the money would also fund a new $20 million grant program for city police departments. They say it would also help avoid budget cuts to other community police programs. If YOU read the lines carefully you going to be 'Taxed' twice , first for your YES VOTE on Brown's Prop 30 , and at the same time Voting YES on local measure A would double dip into your wallet on raising taxes in the guise of "Supporting Local Safety and Education" . Politicians and Legislators , and City Council are Crooks.   And most honest Californian's are being taken to the cleaners . Who want's more taxes? Taxes are always a matter of contention in California's annual budget standoff. Do we pay too much? Should we pay more to maintain some level of government infrastructure and services? Last year, the governor and legislative leaders cut a deal that included significant tax increases. NEXT year Gov. Brown is trying to ask for more the lucrative way.  One reason that California spends and taxes more per capita than other states is that both incomes and the cost of living here are above the national average. As incomes rise, state and local governments spend more, partly because government employee salaries are higher in states with higher salaries in the private sector. State and local taxes in California were roughly 11.7% of personal income in 2008, compared to 11.0% for the entire U.S.  That is, for every $10,000 in income, Californians pay about $70 more in state and local taxes than the average for all states. California does not have the highest taxes in the U.S. The state with the highest taxes is New York, where taxes account for about 14.5% of personal income. Additionally, California’s personal income, corporate income, unemployment, and disability insurance taxes are significantly higher here than elsewhere.California spends about $11 billion more than the national average (accounting for population differences) on public safety, including police, fire, prisons, and jails. The state spends about $12 billion more than average on government-owned utilities, including state and local departments of water and power.  We also exceed the national average in spending on public insurance, health care, public employee pensions and community development (including housing). Californians spend below the national norm on many other programs, including schools (per student spending now ranks near the bottom in the nation), higher education (support for community colleges, CSUs and UCs has dropped dramatically over the past few years), welfare and public roads.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

 Comparing California's taxation with other states is a complicated task. It seems each state has stitched together its own crazy quilt of revenue sources. With concerns about comparative costs of living and state competitiveness, we have untangled the numbers to reveal how California stacks up in the big categories and in total. We use 2009 per capita numbers as the best way to calculate what Californians pay and to compare with other states. Total tax numbers are taken from the U.S. Census historical data set, which runs from 1951 to 2009. Population figures are taken from the U.S. Census annual data sets for 2000-09 and the bureau' shistorical timeset for 1960-1995.