Letter: Solve state's problems with compromise

Have you ever noticed Republicans want to get rid of Prop 13 so they can raise taxes on the elderly? Oh my God! The Democrats are right!

I was under the impression that it was the Democrats that want Prop 13 gone. I for one look at my property tax bill and pray that it stays in effect. As it stands right now the additional "fees" that are tacked on is an additional 25% of what my actual property taxes are. Theses "fees" are going to increase again this year thanks to voters who wanted to build a stadium in my area when there was no money for it. Once again the city is going to borrow money based on future property taxes.

No more taxes Mr. Kotar. But I'm not stopping you from sending in a generous check. Anymore than I'd stop you from flushing it down the toilet.

Has Prop. 13 Really Robbed California of Property-Tax Revenue?
Matt Welch | June 3, 2009, 5:20pm

San Diego Union-Tribune editorial writer Chris Reed, in response to the received wisdom that Prop. 13 has wrecked California's finances, runs some quick numbers to see what the state's property tax haul has been the past quarter century:
Remember, Prop. 13 is not a hard cap of property taxes. Levies are adjusted to current market value when property changes hands. And that happens all the time.

According to the latest info from the Board of Equalization [...] total property taxes collected in 2006-07 were $43.16 billion.

The oldest property tax stats I could find were for 1980-81, from caltax.org . That year, property tax revenue was $6.36 billion.

So since shortly after Prop. 13's adoption, property tax revenue increased by 579 percent. That is not a typo. It went up 579 percent.

During the same span, population went from 24 million to 38 milion -- an increase of 58 percent.

As for inflation, as of January 1981, the rough midpoint of the 1980-81 fiscal year, the Consumer Price Index -- which gauges inflation -- was 88. As of January 2007, it was 202.4. That is a 133 percent increase.

So property tax revenue has increased by more than triple the combined rate of inflation and population growth -- 579 percent versus 191 percent.[...]

[I]n 1980-1981, the total of all general and special fund revenue for the state of California was $22.1 billion. For 2006-07, it was $120.7 billion.[...] That is an increase of 555 percent.

You follow? PROPERTY TAX REVENUE WENT UP FASTER THAN OTHER SOURCES OF REVENUE!

http://www.reason.com/blog/show/133927.html

sparks_red wrote:

I was under the impression that it was the Democrats that want Prop 13 gone.

They do. The liberals weapon of choice is the LIE.

Why is it when someone uses the word "Compromise", their solution is always raise taxes. Well, you've taxed the life out of all classes. Where's your "Compromise" Mr. Kotar"? Now its your turn. Cut the waste. Reorganize your government bureaucracy to be more efficient and less "open ended". Social programs were developed to assist those in true need and designed basically for short term individual assistance (with the exception of disabled and elderly who, very few would argue, are welcomed to our tax dollars). Your type of thinking (along with that illiterate Kitterman fool) has created generations of tax users. Time for those you need to maintain your oversized inefficient government programs to get off their rear ends and become contributors to society; not leaches.

How's that for "Compromise"?

From George Will in the ER this morning (7/5)-

"Whitman (Meg Witman of EBAY) says 50 percent of California's spending on education grades K through 12, goes into overhead, not classrooms, compared to 20 percent in, for example , Connecticut. The public education lobby likes it that way, but because California elementary schools students rank 46th among states in math, 48th in reading, 49th in science, it is Whitman says tersely, hard for defenders of the quo to "hide behind the results"."

The K-12 portion of the budget is $41 billion.

The welfare portion of the budget is $38 billion.

Expected revenue for this year is $86 billion.

We did compromise back in Febuary. The deficit was $40 billion and we compromised.

We raised taxes $15 billion.

So it looks like we are only a couple more compromises away from solving the problem.

Another interesting fact from the paper this morning. 144,000 taxpayers provide 25% of California's income tax revenue.

The Republics want tax cuts for the rich and corporations, while the Dems want tax hikes to give to the "poor." Both of these camps have to understand one thing: The middle class is TAPPED OUT. There's nothing more for them to suck out of us. The credit scammers and the lefty spenders have sucked us dry. So what's left? Cut spending.

Mr. Kotar offered nine proposals, and you idiots didn't respond to a single one.

Neither Mr. Kotar, nor any one else has suggested eliminating Prop 13, they are merely proposing closing loopholes that will make it more equitable.

Fred C wrote:

Mr. Kotar offered nine proposals, and you idiots didn't respond to a single one.
Neither Mr. Kotar, nor any one else has suggested eliminating Prop 13, they are merely proposing closing loopholes that will make it more equitable.

But if you were to listen to what he is proposing on these "nine proposals", they allfollow the concept of generating revinue at the expense of the citizens. Nowhere does he propose we cut spending/costs. In fact, he discredits the notion of reducing spending. Therefore, your "nine proposals" are really one more tax increase. You can play the "slide of hand" trick all you want. Where's your compromise there Fred?

We have been cutting services for years, and the state and local tax burden has remained near the same level for at least a decade. His proposal regarding Prop 13 is to merely make it equitable, which would require some to pay taxes they have been avoiding, not impart new taxes. He also suggested stopping a 2.5 billion corporate tax CUT, again no new taxes, which goes for his proposal regarding tax cheats.

My compromise is to create a bipartisan commission to study BOTH taxes and spending, and at the same time identify services and departments that could be eliminated or made more cost effective.

Despite what the ideological members of the Republican Party claim, the problem can not be solved by cutting alone, and poll after poll show that the vast majority of Californians agree that some sanity must be brought to the legislative process.

Fred C wrote:

Despite what the ideological members of the Republican Party claim, the problem can not be solved by cutting alone.

Thank you Fred, you make me laugh.

We reduced a 40 billion dollar deficit to a 25 billion dollar deficit in Feb. with a 15 billion tax hike.

But you know Fred, it would be nice if they could cut something. Anything. Maybe they could ration paper clips. Bring their own TP and paper towels to work.

Something - anything - anything at all.

Yeah, I know about furloughs but they can they do that forever?

I proprose that the Democrats propose eliminating the mortgage interest deduction.

Yes, I'm serious.

That must shield almost as much money as prop. 13. And how many old people are buying new houses on credit. Probably not many.

Thanks again.

buster,,,take your medication.

Joe Sixpack wrote:

The Republics want tax cuts for the rich and corporations, while the Dems want tax hikes to give to the "poor." Both of these camps have to understand one thing: The middle class is TAPPED OUT. There's nothing more for them to suck out of us. The credit scammers and the lefty spenders have sucked us dry. So what's left? Cut spending.

How about kicking out the illegals? Thats a good start