Time Blames Calif. Budget Mess on... Low Taxes?

Publius' Forum ^ | 6/29/09 | Warner Todd Huston

[Mobile Vulgus]

For Time Magazine, Kevin O'Leary has decided that he's figured out why California is in such a budget mess. Is it because the state indulges over generous social programs, or always has some of the highest taxes in the nation, or because the denizens of its capitol in Sacramento are paragons of waste, fraud and theft? Nope. It's because California has Proposition 13, a measure that prevents state government from too easily raising taxes. Yep, O'Leary thinks California is in a mess because it doesn't have high enough taxes. And it's all Reagan's fault.

With some of the highest taxes in America, California is a hard place to make a living. According to the Tax Foundation, on average it takes a citizen 110 working days to earn enough money to pay his yearly tax bill. That is the fourth worst in the country. California consistently ranks in or near the top 10 worst states for its tax burdens from property taxes, to corporate taxes, to individual taxes and fees of all sorts. So, how can O'Leary imagine that taxes aren't high enough in California?

It's an undeniable fact that taxes are higher in California than most other states. A recent report notes, "California has the highest sales tax (8.25percent, plus local add-ons), gas tax (35.3 cents a gallon) and vehicle license fees ($318 on a $20,000 gas-powered car), along with the second-highest top-bracket income tax (10.55 percent; Hawaii is No. 1 at 11 percent)."

Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...

[Mobile Vulgus]

Sometimes the server gets a tad overloaded. IF the link doesn't work, try back later.

[Califreak]

I will always blame juducial intervention in Prop 187.

[GunsAndBibles]

I agree, the court gave us the shaft.

[GunsAndBibles]

I agree, the court gave us the shaft.

[tflabo]

Yeh...nice try from the economic morons of the left.
It’s simple mathematics and principles of a balance budget sheet. Spending outflow is higher than revenue inflow.
Therefore cut spending and reducing taxes will generate more revenue. WTF is with these Lefties that they can’t grasp this formula that has proven to work in the past. Lunatics!

[CottonBall]

I will always blame juducial intervention in Prop 187.

I can imagine how different California - and the rest of the country as well - would be today if the voters' will was allowed to be implemented.

[Califreak]

Yes.

It angers me daily to consider what might have been.