Jerry Brown mulling tax extension before public vote

SacBee: Capitol Alert ^ | 4/8/11 | David Siders

[SmithL]

Gov. Jerry Brown said this afternoon that he would consider signing a budget in which the Legislature extends temporary tax increases - subject to a later vote.

"That's a possibility," Brown said after meeting with local officials in Riverside. "They can do all cuts, they can have no budget, or they can... extend the taxes subject to their expiring if the people vote 'No."

Brown spokeswoman Elizabeth Ashford said such a plan would still require a two-thirds vote in the Legislature. Brown has been unable to find the Republican votes necessary in either house to move forward his proposal to extend higher taxes on vehicles, income and sales.

Brown said he may propose a budget that would assume tax extensions before voters approve them, triggering an all-cuts budget if taxes fail at the ballot. The Democratic governor promised in his campaign not to raise taxes without voter approval. Brown said he is not breaking his promise.

[SmithL]

Fish gotta swim,

birds gotta fly, and

RATS gotta tax!

[BenLurkin]

Can't let the voters decide. They aren't sufficiently enlightened.

[occamrzr06]

They aren’t sufficiently enlightened to elect the right people, but they are sufficiently enlightened to not vote for tax increases.

I’m betting they ask for fed money.

[mmercier]

There is no such thing as a “temporary” tax increase.

I know this to be a fact.

[BenLurkin]

I apologize for leaving off the /sarcasm tag.

[rawhide]

Let the people vote first, then if approved, increase the taxes.

[Myrddin]

Jerry thinks he can collect the tax before it it approved. If not approved, how does the illegally collected tax get returned to the taxpayer. Just say NO. I'm about to get stuck with paying 10% CA state income tax vs 8% ID state income tax because I have to do my contract work on site in San Diego. The "multi-state income tax" has arrived. I'll be paying taxes by virtue of where I'm physically working, but won't have a right to vote in the CA elections that tax me since I'm a resident of ID.

[Razzz42]

“...The “multi-state income tax” has arrived. I’ll be paying taxes by virtue of where I’m physically working, but won’t have a right to vote in the CA elections that tax me since I’m a resident of ID.”

That would be a tax without representation, since you can’t represent yourself there, in California and you are already paying over 8% in California sales tax, which would be double taxation.

[Myrddin]

28% Federal, 10% CA state tax, social security 4.2% X $106800, 1.45% Medicare and 9.75% sales tax. Not to mention the much higher gasoline costs. Premium is running $4.19/gal.

The social security "tax holiday" for 2011 is immediately negated by the switch from 8% ID state tax to 10% CA tax.

[Joe Boucher]

Yep,
just like any gub mint agency, once you get it going it will NEVER go away.
Hell, just look at the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
They’ve wasted billions have done zero good and are still going strong and asking for ever larger budgets.

pathetic thing is this os but one of hundreds of worthless gub mint agencies.

[newzjunkey]

Can't let the voters decide. They aren't sufficiently enlightened.

Unfortunately I agree. Sure, the CA voter has turned down over a dozen tax hike proposals in recent years but they've become so easily bamboozled I'd prefer not to risk putting it to a vote. We're better off with an all cuts budget. After much confusion, I've heard on local news the vote would only require 50% + 1 for tax extension.