Tax the rich the way they used to be taxed, so that everyone else can benefit from growing opportunities to lead lives with dignity.

Taxation Basics

• The richest 1% of California tax filers pay the largest share of their income in state and local taxes (12.3%), but the lowest income 20% pay the next highest share (11.4%).
• In the long run since 1978, California’s Proposition 13 helped rich corporations and individuals far more than the rest of us, especially young people.
• The top marginal tax rate for federal income tax in 1961 was 91%; and now it is 37%.

Taxation Background and Proposal

Decades ago taxes were much higher on the wealthy, and yet the rich could still get richer, while the rest of us also had growing opportunities for better living.

Now, low taxes on the super-rich incentivize decision-makers to keep profits for themselves, and this fact alone helps create billionaires.

Without tax revenue from the richest corporations and billionaires, the state has not maintained highways, school buildings, roads, and beautiful parks, and the state has not maintained basic services.

Because California is not taxing the super-rich, the state gets revenue in what could be called “hidden taxes”, everything from park fees, traffic fines, and parking fees, to the ever-increasing tuition for higher education. Earlier generations attended the California university system at far less cost. California can do that again.

California can correct the balance of who pays taxes. I propose reducing the regressive taxes, such as sales and excise taxes, that hit middle and lower income people harder. And I propose increasing progressive taxes, like income tax and corporate tax, and enforcing payment of those taxes, so that those who can pay, do pay.

A note about corporations: A company that many people rely on heavily (unfortunately) is Amazon. This corporation has killed off many small, local businesses and meaningful work; meanwhile Amazon has produced the world’s richest person, and often paid little to no taxes. During the pandemic in 2021, Amazon earned record profits, and raised its prices on Amazon Prime.

A note about billionaires: They don’t just buy jets and yachts, islands and parties, billionaires buy power, and that harms our democracy. They buy politicians who make decisions that affect all of us, from real safety and justice to meaningful education and healthcare. And they pay for the information that gets inside our heads and the heads of our children. They buy media outlets: TV and radio stations, publishing houses of everything from “local” newspapers to school textbooks, ads of all kinds including broadcast, billboard, print media, and the internet. In this way, they buy the power to affect what we believe is reality, and whether or not we believe there are peaceful and meaningful alternatives that we can actually choose.