On grim realities and escapism Rethinking Proposition 13

SF Chronicle ^ | 1/13/03 | Staff

[randita]

The budget mess comes with an opportunity for California to address long-ignored inequities in its tax structure. It will force the state -- voters and elected officials alike -- to consider the unpopular and the untouchable as ways to drag ourselves out of the state's fiscal bog.

[randita]

Didn't take long for Prop 13 to be back on the chopping block. What are the chances of overturning Prop 13?

[BJungNan]

The phrase "commercial property" includes a lot of mom and pop style shops - think of every little shop keeper in every strip mall. Beauty salons, corner markets, little restaurants, bicycle shops...

It does not matter if these are owned or rented, the effect of wiping out prop 13 protections will be the same - either a hugh jump in property taxes or a huge increase in the rent. This at a time when many stores are complaining about some tough times.

It won't fly. And as usual, the libs are seriously out of touch. By the way, has anyone seen anywhere the story about all the state officials buy cadillacs before the budget axe falls?

[DB]

Strange, the state had a multi-billion dollar surplus the day Gray Davis took office on his first term with Prop 13 untouched.

[copycat]

Don't worry California. Gray Davis will continue to raise your taxes while accepting obscene amounts of cash for his personal use to stay in power.

As for Prop 13? It's gonna be hilarious to watch the liberal nanny-state disassemble their socialist haven piece by piece.

[xzins]

Interesting that the way out of their budget crisis is "new revenue/taxes" rather than reduced expenses.

Businesses do not pay taxes. They pass them along to consumers in the price of their goods. Admittedly, businesses that do business outside the state will enable some of that tax cost to be distributed around the nation/world.

It's useless to say they should have gotten rid of Davis, but the should have.

They need to cut expense. If you keep increasing the bite you take out of a paycheck and never retreating in the form of reduced costs and reduced taxes, then you are doomed to some point, X, in the future where you can take no more because you've taken everything.

[Mo1]

PLEASE SUPPORT FREE REPUBLIC

Donate Here By Secure Server

Or mail checks to
FreeRepublic , LLC
PO BOX 9771
FRESNO, CA 93794
or you can use
PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com

Become A Monthly Donor
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Prop 13 will not be overturned. It will be ignored. Example, one county or city is adding "Fees" to property for police and fire services.

[Publius6961]

Deny, deflect, delay and destroy.

The cause is uncontrolled spending.
That's what I'd like to discuss.

[Publius6961]

Deny, deflect, delay and destroy.

The cause is uncontrolled spending.
That's what I'd like to discuss.

[Dog Gone]

High power costs, soaring Workmen's Comp costs, environmental and regulatory burdens, and a state income tax have all put the squeeze on California businesses.

Now, the state wants to jack up their property taxes.

Businesses pass on their costs to consumers, if they can. If they can't, they close up shop.

Which one of those results are the geniuses in Sacramento wanting to accomplish?

[Pylot]

To me, the one thing about the insanity of the California "budget crisis" is that there is no crisis at all.

There are just a bunch of government pukes seeking to deny the reality of having less money. The stewards of government are willing to devastate the people they allegedly serve in order to preserve what?

Unfettered, reckless spending.

To think that raising property taxes on business will last more than one year is lunacy. Businesses are already leaving California at a record pace.

Soon all that will be left are about 25 million people with their hand out.

[Eala]

The budget mess comes with an opportunity for California to address long-ignored inequities in its tax structure.

That's code for "we want to jack up your taxes."

[CdMGuy]

Typical SF Chronicle garbage. The year that Prop 13 passed, my home in LA County was re-assessed, and its value was increased by 60%. Due to the rapid, and to this day continued, increase in property values in California, county and city governments were making a fortune by re-assessing, but holding the tax rate the same.

After Prop 13 passed, taxes were frozen at 1% of the property value at the time 13 passed. Properties were re-assessed when they were sold. Each year there is an inflation factor which increases all property values.

With the high level of home sales in CA, and the high rate of home price increase, cities and counties have done very well under Prop 13. But no, there liberals want homeowners to be paying twice as much in taxes so they can spend twice as much.

[jiggyboy]

Yep, I've got more than a half a dozen "fees" on my property tax bill from everything from schools to environment to parks. There's no need to repeal Prop 13, or change it, or even to worry about it as this writer does -- the "fee" loophole reliably adds 5% a year on its own.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The true item on the Davis agenda, build a crisis, so Prop 13 can be changed!

calgov2002:

calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. 

calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register

[NormsRevenge]

BUMP

[Grampa Dave]

Here we go, the real objective of the rats and their butt buddies in the media, who have hated prop 13 since it became law, like a certain pseudo conservative who writes articles for the Sac Bee.

[Gophack]

They need a 3/4th vote to change Prop. 13, I believe. At the MINIMUM they need a 2/3rd vote, but I believe it's 3/4th (if someone knows for sure, let me know!)

If they tinker with prop. 13 in the so-called effort to be "fair" between commercial and residential properties, BEWARE ... they won't let residential property owners off. There will be a hidden clause or something that will screw us. There always is.

I just don't think they can get 6 Republican Assemblymembers and 2 Republican Senators to vote to mess with Prop. 13. Because of redistricting, Republican districts have become more conservative, and anyone who messed with it would be in big trouble in a primary.

[PsyOp]

That's the ticket! Let's Drive that final stake through the heart of California's businesses. That will help the state's budjet and our schools.