In order to pay for its pricey plan-of-attack to eradicate homelessness in Los Angeles County, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is audaciously attempting to place a 'millionaire's tax' on the November ballot for the voters' consideration. The proposed tax would take a half-percent of personal incomes exceeding $1 million annually countywide, and devote the revenue towards funding the county government's 47-point plan for ending homelessness in Los Angeles.
According to a poll conducted for the county government, a whopping 76 percent of L.A. County residents favor the proposed tax on L.A.'s many millionaires. The proposed tax is estimated to produce anywhere from $250 million to $300 million annually. While this isn't enough to fully fund all the programs the county wants to enact to fight homelessness, it's enough to fund significant progress.
Actually getting the proposed tax onto the ballot, however, is far easier said than done. Under present California law, county governments do not have the authority to levy direct income taxes, which the proposed tax fundamentally is. In order to gain the authority to tax income, state lawmakers in both houses of the legislature, as well as Governor Jerry Brown, need to approve the county's proposal. This is a very hard sell, but dozens of county workers and lawmakers are acting quickly to turn the pitch into reality.
Last week, County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas visited Sacramento to rally support in the California State Legislature for the proposed amendments. On Wednesday, a coalition of 29 state legislators signed an open letter to the Governor and other top state legislators pressing for the approval of a bill that would grant the L.A. County Board of Supervisors the ability to place the proposed tax on the ballot.
No comments:
Post a Comment