SEIU Director: Tax Plans Rivaling Gov. Brown’s Measure Should Bow Out
David Kieffer -- executive director of Service Employees International Union California -- has called for two tax plans that could compete with Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) proposal on the November ballot to drop out of contention, the Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert" reports (Yamamura, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 2/29).
Brown's Plan
Brown's plan -- 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 plan is a key component of Brown's $92.6 billion spending proposal for fiscal year 2012-2013.
Rival Plans
The "Millionaires Tax" -- backed by the California Nurses Association -- would increase taxes on state residents earning more than $1 million annually. Some of the revenue would go toward state health services.
Another plan -- called "Our Children, Our Future" -- by civil rights attorney Molly Munger aims to 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).
Kieffer's Comments
Kieffer said that the two rival plans should drop out because they could jeopardize the prospects of all tax proposals on the ballot. Â
He noted, "From a public policy point of view, we're going to end up with a big mess, where three competing tax initiatives will collide at the ballot box and we won't get any of them passed" ("Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 2/29).
Brown Meets With 'Millionaires Tax' Leader
In related news, Brown recently met with Joshua Pechthalt -- the leader of the teachers union that proposed the "Millionaires Tax" -- and urged him to drop the plan. Brown rebuffed Pechthalt's counter request that the governor revise his own tax plan.
Pechthalt said, "It was a very cordial, respectful meeting. But we want a revenue measure and, at this point, we believe ours is the one with the best chance of winning" (Riccardi/York, Los Angeles Times, 3/1).
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