EDITORIAL : REAL TAX RELIEF NEEDED; CALIFORNIANS DESERVE A SLICE OF THE PIE, NOT CRUMBS.THE temporary quarter-cent cut in the state sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. proposed by Democratic legislators was about as insulting to California taxpayers as a 50-cent tip on a $50 restaurant tab. Gov. Pete Wilson For others named Pete Wilson, see . Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. Wilson served as the thirty-sixth Governor of California (1991–1999), the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that did the right thing this week by vetoing it. Californians deserve a meaningful tax cut, not a token one. And the state can afford it, too. The Legislature raised taxes by more than $7 billion - and cut spending by a roughly equal amount - during the recession of the early '90s to help the state pay its bills. But now that the economy has turned the corner, tax collections are exceeding projections, and there is a budget surplus of more than $4 billion. So if lawmakers can't muster the courage to defy the special interests' spending requests and approve a meaningful tax cut this summer when there is a surplus, what chance will the taxpayers have if the economy turns sour again? The answer, barring another Proposition 13-style tax revolt A tax revolt is a political struggle to repeal, limit, or roll back a government-imposed tax. In the United States, it is often used to refer to a series of anti-tax state initiative campaigns. The first significant wave of these campaigns was during the 1930s. , probably is slim or none. Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Tom McClintock Thomas Miller "Tom" McClintock (born July 10, 1956 in White Plains, New York) is a California State Senator. He ran for Governor of California in the 2003 California recall election of Gray Davis and finished third out of 135 candidates with 13.5% of the overall vote. , R-Granada Hills, and other Republicans hit upon a good plan for reducing taxes when they proposed a $3.6 billion cut in motor vehicle fees spread over five years. Since cars and light trucks are necessities for many California breadwinners, such a tax cut would tend to return money to those who have the least to spare for taxes. That makes sense to us. Unfortunately, proposals to cut the car tax, which provides nearly $4 billion a year for local governments, have been opposed by many cities and counties, notwithstanding promises by sponsors to replace the lost revenue. The opposition of local officials, coupled with that of legislators who want to spend as much money as possible on pet projects, threatens to kill the whole idea. Thus, we urge supporters of a meaningful tax cut to remain flexible, rather than risk everything on a reduction in motor vehicle fees. So how about challenging Democratic leaders of the Legislature to couple tax cuts with spending increases in dealing with the budget surplus? This way, every dollar allocated for increased spending would have to be matched with a dollar in tax cuts. Granted, this approach wouldn't guarantee a meaningful cut. But those who opposed one would be forced to defend the indefensible - a bloated bloat·ed adj. 1. Much bigger than desired: a bloated bureaucracy; a bloated budget. 2. Medicine Swollen or distended beyond normal size by fluid or gaseous material. surplus. We doubt whether many incumbents in the Legislature are anxious to do that between now and the November election. The big problem with all this, of course, is politics. Democrats don't want to do anything to help Republicans capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. one of their favorite issues - cutting taxes. But that's precisely what former Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown For the whistleblower, see . Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. (born April 7, 1938), is the Attorney General for the state of California. Brown has had a lengthy political career spanning terms on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees (1969-1971), as California did in 1978 when he jumped aboard the Proposition 13 bandwagon band·wag·on n. 1. An elaborately decorated wagon used to transport musicians in a parade. 2. Informal A cause or party that attracts increasing numbers of adherents: ahead of his Republican rival and won a second term. What's more important, though, is that state taxes were increased substantially when millions of Californians were grappling with hard times. Now it's their turn for some consideration. |
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