Most Residents Support Plans To Raise Taxes on Wealthy, Poll Finds
Most Californians support raising taxes for high-income individuals as proposed in two rival tax measures seeking to qualify for the November ballot, according to a new Field Poll, the Sacramento Bee reports (Yamamura, Sacramento Bee, 2/24).
About the Tax Initiatives
Gov. Jerry Brown's (D)Â proposal -- which recently was endorsed by the California Medical Association -- would raise income taxes on Californians earning at least $250,000 annually and increase the sales tax by a half cent. The tax increase would expire at the end of 2016.
The "Millionaires Tax" plan -- backed by the California Nurses Association -- would increase taxes on Californians earning more than $1 million annually. Some of the revenue would go toward state health services (California Healthline, 2/17).
Poll Details
The poll found that:
- 63% of respondents said they are in favor of the Millionaires Tax; and
- 58% said they support Brown's proposal.
When asked specifically about whether they support the way the proposals alter the state income tax:
- 40% of respondents said they the Millionaires Tax; and
- 25% said they favored Brown's plan.
According to the poll, 9% of respondents said they prefer a third tax measure that also could be included on the November ballot (Sacramento Bee, 2/24). The proposal -- called "Our Children, Our Future" -- would increase income taxes for all residents, with the highest income earners seeing the largest hike. Most of the revenue would support education programs (California Healthline, 2/17).
Petition Drive Begins
In related news, supporters of the Our Children, Our Future proposal on Thursday launched a petition drive to gather signatures in support of the initiative.
Competition
Brown's administration recently released a poll saying the Our Children, Our Future and Millionaires Tax proposals on the ballot alongside Brown's plan would overwhelm voters and hurt the potential passage of all three initiatives (Riccardi, "PolitiCal," Los Angeles Times, 2/23).
Broadcast Coverage
On Thursday, KQED's "The California Report" reported on the three rival tax proposals (Myers, "The California Report," KQED, 2/23). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.