Are Republicans Finally Learning to Count?
The Republican Party is despised, rejected, a party of sorrows, and its 2012 candidates acquainted with grief (with apologies to Isaiah and George Frederick Handel). But now some Republicans at last want to face that reality and make some changes. I call them the Republicans Who Can Count. The Republicans Who Can’t Count were on […]
Dear John: You’re All Wrong about Prop 13
In John Wildermuth’s Fox and Hounds column last week (Prop. 13 and the Unintended Consequence), he unsuccessfully attempts to blame Prop. 13 for virtually all of California’s financial shortcomings. What Wildermuth misses in his drive-by analysis is the fact that local revenues, like state revenues, have been increasing far past the rate of inflation for […]
Split-Roll Property Tax would Hit Small Business Hard
The attacks on Proposition 13 never seem to end. The 1978 tax-cut initiative’s enemies, such as former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, conjure up a misleading image of large corporate owners of commercial real estate dodging taxes by selling commercial properties through “stock transfers.” They call for a “split roll” that would increase taxes on commercial property, […]
Gov.’s Office Admits Revenue Surge was an Anomaly
As expected, the $5 billion in increased tax revenues (really $4.3 billion) is due to timing and one time money. A billion of that comes from sales tax revenues from December but not reported till January. $3 billion was one time money due to Obama tax increases and Prop. 30 retroactive taxes. Expect revenues for […]