GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
www.cagreens.org
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Contact: Sara Amir, spokesperson 310.270-7106 saraamir@earthlink.net
Susan King 415.823-5524 funking@mindspring.com
Beth Moore Haines 530.277-0610 beth@ncws.com
Governor ducks property tax question, happy to shift tax burden to
working people to benefit corporate land holders, say Greens
SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's refusal
to directly answer a question about the tax burden of working people -
to the benefit of corporations - at Monday's "performance"
before a live Bay Area and television audience shows he's not a true
"reformer," said the Green Party of California Tuesday.
Schwarzenegger refused to answer the audience
member's question concerning the enormous property tax loophole
provided corporations because of the implementation of Prop. 13, a
statewide ballot initiative passed in 1978. The audience member
specifically asked about corporate property, even mentioning the
company Southern Pacific by name.
But Schwarzenegger, behaving just like the career
politicians he constantly derides, chose to play deaf and only address
the benefits of Prop 13 to longtime homeowners, said Erika McDonald,
San Francisco Green Party spokesperson.
Many California residents, including those in the
Green Party, understand the need for Prop. 13 to protect residential
property owners who may be on fixed incomes and unable to pay full
market value property taxes on their homes. Sheltering corporations
from these property taxes, however, is unnecessary and has increased
the tax burden on homeowners who have paid high prices for homes in
more recent years, said McDonald.
Before Prop. 13, two-thirds of all property tax
was paid by businesses, including corporations, landlords and
speculators. One-third of taxes were paid by homeowners. Since then,
the percentages have reversed. Homeowners in many counties pay
two-thirds of the property tax as compared to one-third for
corporations, some of which have been posting record profits.
"It is clear why Schwarzenegger does not want
to address the free-ride that his corporate donors are getting. If
Arnold was truly a 'reformer', as he claims, he would be more honest
about who really pays the bills in this state," said
McDonald.
"In failing to answer the citizen's question
about Proposition 13, Schwarzenegger once again demonstrated his utter
disdain for ordinary working people," added McDonald, who said
that if business properties were assessed more often then the state
would have the tax revenue to truly support schools, cities and
counties without bonds and regressive sales taxes.
