SACRAMENTO– Senator Bob Margett (R-Glendora) issued the following statements about the Governor´s May Revision:
"First and foremost, I am glad to see the Governor has met the Prop 98 minimum and increased education spending beyond his January proposal. I am also pleased to hear the Governor has backed away from releasing felons from prison early, and has found a way to keep our state parks open at a minimal cost to users."
"The May Revise shows the acuteness of our state´s fiscal problems and further shows California has spending, not revenue problems. General Fund revenues are slightly more than last year, yet California still has a $17.3 billion shortfall. We must stop using our credit card to balance the budget."
"I agree with the Governor the lottery is an underperforming asset that needs to be modernized. However, the Governor´s proposal is full of risk. If voters do not approve the lottery measure, the revenues generated by a one percent sales tax increase are far less than the revenues the Governor is relying on from the lottery to balance the budget. This would leave us right back where we started."
"Additionally, I question the logic in hanging a one percent sales tax increase over the heads of the voters if the lottery proposal is not passed. Such a move borders on blackmail. If the voters don´t want to expand and modernize the lottery to bail Sacramento out after years of bad budgeting, then the voters are telling the politicians in Sacramento they must stop overspending."
"Finally, a one percent sales tax increase would have a negative effect on big ticket purchases such as automobiles, the staple funding source after property taxes for many local governments. Past history has shown taking money out of the pockets of Californians when the economy is in decline has a detrimental effect."
"First and foremost, I am glad to see the Governor has met the Prop 98 minimum and increased education spending beyond his January proposal. I am also pleased to hear the Governor has backed away from releasing felons from prison early, and has found a way to keep our state parks open at a minimal cost to users."
"The May Revise shows the acuteness of our state´s fiscal problems and further shows California has spending, not revenue problems. General Fund revenues are slightly more than last year, yet California still has a $17.3 billion shortfall. We must stop using our credit card to balance the budget."
"I agree with the Governor the lottery is an underperforming asset that needs to be modernized. However, the Governor´s proposal is full of risk. If voters do not approve the lottery measure, the revenues generated by a one percent sales tax increase are far less than the revenues the Governor is relying on from the lottery to balance the budget. This would leave us right back where we started."
"Additionally, I question the logic in hanging a one percent sales tax increase over the heads of the voters if the lottery proposal is not passed. Such a move borders on blackmail. If the voters don´t want to expand and modernize the lottery to bail Sacramento out after years of bad budgeting, then the voters are telling the politicians in Sacramento they must stop overspending."
"Finally, a one percent sales tax increase would have a negative effect on big ticket purchases such as automobiles, the staple funding source after property taxes for many local governments. Past history has shown taking money out of the pockets of Californians when the economy is in decline has a detrimental effect."
