kujebak
2009-06-08 01:46:57 UTC
GO> Standard-Issue Financial Pundits (SIFPs) like Paul Krugman (
GO> State of Paralysis) are claiming the state's problems all stem
GO> from miserly California voters refusing to pay higher
GO> taxes. Uh, Paul, do you pay $10,000 in property taxes for a
GO> property you bought in 1992? I do, and I don't think that's a
GO> low tax.
I know what's wrong with right-wing-nuts, they can't think
straight. If in 2009 you're paying $10/year property tax that I assume
falls under Prop 13 law, that means you paid about $715K for it back
in 1992. Since then your taxes have increased a miserly 2% a year, far
less than inflation or the market value.
Businesses do even better, since they can employ a legal scam to never
have property change ownership and thus enjoy a max 2% increase in
property taxes forever.
GO> In case Paul hasn't visited the Golden State recently, allow
GO> me the honor of introducing a funny little concept called fact
GO> to his pro-tax rant. We pay 9.5% sales tax (9.75% if you voted
GO> for various transit projects like BART) which is among the
GO> highest in the nation.
Yep, sales tax rates have increased since Prop 13 and are high...to
make up for the low property taxes.
GO> If you make a decent wage (I don't, but many do) then the
GO> state income tax is about 10% as well. That rate is also among
GO> the highest in the nation.
The highest income tax bracket was eliminated in 1999 during the
dot-com boom...never reinstated.
GAS removed the Vehicle License Fee, and whacked several billion
dollars a year from the budget.
The PPIC published a summary of California taxes
(http://tinyurl.com/p8dox6). Guess what, California taxes have been
pretty much at the national average since Prop 13 (late 1970s).
GO> What we have here is not just cognitive dissonance but
GO> pathological disassociation from reality: California is a very
GO> high-tax state, with among the highest rates in the nation in
GO> virtually every category of taxation.
tell a lie often enough, and the people believe. Before Prop 13,
California taxes were higher than the national average. For 30 years
they've been average, and they're probably below average now.
One's opinion of our state's budget crisis depends, ofGO> State of Paralysis) are claiming the state's problems all stem
GO> from miserly California voters refusing to pay higher
GO> taxes. Uh, Paul, do you pay $10,000 in property taxes for a
GO> property you bought in 1992? I do, and I don't think that's a
GO> low tax.
I know what's wrong with right-wing-nuts, they can't think
straight. If in 2009 you're paying $10/year property tax that I assume
falls under Prop 13 law, that means you paid about $715K for it back
in 1992. Since then your taxes have increased a miserly 2% a year, far
less than inflation or the market value.
Businesses do even better, since they can employ a legal scam to never
have property change ownership and thus enjoy a max 2% increase in
property taxes forever.
GO> In case Paul hasn't visited the Golden State recently, allow
GO> me the honor of introducing a funny little concept called fact
GO> to his pro-tax rant. We pay 9.5% sales tax (9.75% if you voted
GO> for various transit projects like BART) which is among the
GO> highest in the nation.
Yep, sales tax rates have increased since Prop 13 and are high...to
make up for the low property taxes.
GO> If you make a decent wage (I don't, but many do) then the
GO> state income tax is about 10% as well. That rate is also among
GO> the highest in the nation.
The highest income tax bracket was eliminated in 1999 during the
dot-com boom...never reinstated.
GAS removed the Vehicle License Fee, and whacked several billion
dollars a year from the budget.
The PPIC published a summary of California taxes
(http://tinyurl.com/p8dox6). Guess what, California taxes have been
pretty much at the national average since Prop 13 (late 1970s).
GO> What we have here is not just cognitive dissonance but
GO> pathological disassociation from reality: California is a very
GO> high-tax state, with among the highest rates in the nation in
GO> virtually every category of taxation.
tell a lie often enough, and the people believe. Before Prop 13,
California taxes were higher than the national average. For 30 years
they've been average, and they're probably below average now.
course, on from which side of the economic impact of the
rapidly narrowing range of solutions one finds himself. The
public sector employees, and their unions are naturally
not going to have an objective view of the issue ;-)
Regardless of where California actually stands in terms of
per capita spending, the most disturbing fact, without which
the current $41 billion budget shortfall would not exist, re-
mains, and cannot be spun in any way by anyone in Sac-
ramento (including the Gubernator), and that is the apalling
31% state spending increase in the last 5 years, far excee-
ding the cumulative rate of inflation (12%) and population
growth (5%).
Would you care to sink your teeth into that?