Californians back raising taxes on state's wealthy--even 60% of Republicans agree!

[diane in sf]

(04-01) 10:30 PDT SACRAMENTO -- With negotiations over how to solve California's $26.6 billion state budget deficit stalled, a new poll released today shows strong bipartisan support for something Sacramento lawmakers this year haven't seriously debated: raising taxes on the wealthiest residents.

Seventy-eight percent of likely California voters support a 1 percent increase in the income tax rate for Californians earning more than $500,000 a year, according to the poll, which was conducted by Democratic pollster Ben Tulchin and sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers.

A one percentage point increase, which would raise an estimated $2.5 billion a year, offers a possible Plan B for helping solve the budget deficit, with 60 percent of Republican respondents and 79 percent of independents and other voters backing it, along with 89 percent of Democrats. The maximum income tax rate is 9.55 percent, according to the Californian Franchise Tax Board.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/31/MNP21INRMH.DTL#ixzz1IItles00

[diane in sf]

1. Just to add... "The incomes of the wealthiest 1 percent of Californians grew 81 percent

from 1978 to 2008, while those in the bottom 20 percent dropped 11.5 percent, according to the nonpartisan California Budget Project.

California ranks 12th nationally in total state and local taxes and fees, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce."

[JuniperLea]

2. This California Native is all for it!

I just got my bonus... and the amount I deposited was just barely over HALF the gross. It really pisses me off... but not enough to say no to more taxes. We need to save this state from decay!

[K8-EEE]

4. L.A. girl K8-EEE in agreement!!

I'm not happy about the $1700 I have to send in next week for the next Prop Tax installment but damn we all have to get a reality check and PAY THE BILLS AND FUND THE STATE. The "free lunch" mentality is what did this to us.

[Turbineguy]

3. Those numbers would be about right

2% are rich and 40% are total fucking idiots who vote to screw themselves, so 60% of Republicans being in favor is about right.

[katty]

5. this CA native says Yes

[txlibdem]

6. Closing all the loopholes and sneaky little tricks would bring in far more revenue

But it doesn't look like they really care about increasing revenue by very much. One percent is only a symbolic gesture to get the rabble off the backs of the fabulously wealthy, shut us up with a crust of bread instead of real tax reform.

Between tax cuts for the rich and continuing increases in military spending, our communities have been set on the path of de-development, with catastrophic consequences. With the national cuts in block cuts and other spending reductions mean that in the world’s richest nation, we must suffer cuts in health care and programs for the elderly and disabled. Education is increasingly essential, but head start is being reduced, teachers are being laid off by the thousands, class sizes growing, and Pell Grant loans that working and middle class students need for college are withering. Police and fire fighters are losing their jobs, while job training programs are cut.

The budget surplus that President Bush the Lesser inherited from President Clinton didn’t evaporate magically. It was mugged in the back alleys and dark corners of the White House, Congress the Pentagon and K Street. Bush’s tax write off for the super rich, extended by the last lame duck Congressional session, took $2.5 trillion from our communities. $2.5 trillion! That’s quite enough to ensure decent housing and health care for all, to educate our children, to build the infrastructure fueled by sustainable energy that our nation needs to be competitive in the 21st century, and to be paying down the national debt.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/04/01-3

End the loopholes. Tax fairness is needed now.