“Prop. 15: The Legislature should reform California’s tax system”
SACRAMENTO, CA – In an op-ed today in CALmatters, Antonio Villaraigosa announced his opposition to Proposition 15, the $11.5 billion property tax increase. The former Los Angeles mayor and Assembly Speaker says the poorly drafted ballot measure is no substitute for tax reform and will disproportionately hurt every Californian struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read excerpts from “Time for the Legislature to Reform California’s Tax System” below:
“…Yet today, amidst the challenges of a pandemic, we are confronted with a different kind of challenge that will surely bring with it additional burdens to our already fragile economy in the form of higher taxes – Proposition 15…
“That, unfortunately, is not what’s before voters in November in the guise of Prop 15. Tax reform is too big and too important to be legislated at the ballot box. To be clear, there is no doubt that tax reform is needed, but it should be undertaken by the Legislature and a bipartisan solution forged…
“California should consider the way in which it collects taxes in a manner that protects our most vulnerable, funds education as well as other essential services and safeguards the important contributions that small businesses make each day. Many of these small businesses and the workers they employ have been the hardest hit by the pandemic…
“With a property tax increase in excess of $11.5 billion, the measure will have a crippling impact on the small businesses trying to recover and get their employees back to work. According to a Berkeley Research Group study, another 120,000 private-sector jobs will be lost if Prop 15 is approved in November.
“This poorly drafted tax measure will disproportionately hurt everyday Californians during the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. It will put significant pressure on jobs in general, but private sector union jobs in particular…
“Because Prop 15 raises property taxes, those higher taxes will get passed on to small business tenants, who rent. These businesses, in turn, will pass higher costs on to consumers in the form of increased prices on everything we buy – groceries, fuel, utilities, clothing and health care. California’s cost of living is already among the nation’s highest. Prop 15 will drive the cost of living even higher. These taxes won’t differentiate between rich or poor, union or non-union households.
“As someone who believes that California’s tax system is broken and must be reformed, the Legislature with overwhelming majorities in both houses needs to take the time to analyze what should be changed and remedy it in a way that provides vital resources for schools, cities, counties and essential services…
“Prop 15 isn’t the answer and will only get in the way of California’s much needed recovery.”
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ABOUT NO ON PROP 15 – STOP HIGHER PROPERTY TAXES AND SAVE PROP 13
No on Prop 15 – Stop Higher Property Taxes and Save Prop 13, a bipartisan coalition of homeowners, taxpayers, and businesses, has been fighting to protect Prop 13 and oppose a split-roll property tax for more than a decade. For more information, please visit www.NOonProp15.org.