Activists Petition to Prolong Increased Sales and Income Tax

ERIN KIM
EVA ORTEGA
Staff Writers

In 2012, Governor Jerry Brown campaigned to raise support for Proposition 30, an initiative which would boost the state sales tax and raise income taxes for seven years on individuals who make more than $250,000 annually to support education and enhance public safety. Prop 30’s provisions have garnered support from a broad coalition of community, education, labor, public safety, business and health care organizations.

According to the California Labor Federation, Prop 30 offers genuine opportunities for Californians to fight for the rights of schools, universities and public safety services. For several years, teachers have been laid off and firehouses have had to close down due to various budget cuts. Consequently, Prop 30 was proposed to offer solutions to upkeep safety and the right to education for all families in California by preventing deep school cuts, allowing more cops on the streets, and providing aid in balancing the budget.

According to EdSource, proponents of Prop 30, such as Brown and the California Federation of Teachers, asserted that Prop 30 would help cease the budget shortfalls that continue to plague California.

However, the Los Angeles Times reported that, although the proposition has majority support, Brown has expressed his doubts regarding the continuation of the temporary tax hikes. As a result, activist groups have been circulating initiatives to extend some parts of Prop 30 in order to present their proposals on time for the November 2016 ballot.
The campaigns backing the extension of Prop 30 are presenting the Invest in California’s Children Act which would make the higher income taxes set by Proposition 30 permanent.

The act would also ensure that some amount of money would be set aside in a reserve fund to protect child services from facing budget cuts during times of economic hardship.

“Unless [California] could come up with a better way of funding schools [in the near future], extending Prop 30 would help schools out a lot. More [funding] could get AHS more materials [that would equip] students to learn better,” freshman Leanna Villegas said.

California’s Children Act is backed by the California Hospital Association and the Service Employees International Union which is also responsible for presenting another initiative, the School Funding and Budget Stability Act. Under this act, the income tax hike would extend to 2030 rather than be permanent. However, some are skeptical of this initiative, unsure of whether the act would bring about sufficient gains.

“Having more tax hikes doesn’t exactly guarantee that the additional money solicited from taxpayers would be allocated specifically to education and that the students would reap the benefits of this. Raising taxes should not be the only solution to this issue,” senior Zhayne Tanyag said.