[GPCA Updates] GPCA RELEASE: Gov. Brown accused of offering 'false choices' about budget

[Green Party of California Updates]

Gov. Brown accused of offering 'false choices' about budget, asked if he
supports 'human needs or tax breaks for huge corporations' in letter from
Green Party state official

GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS RELEASE

SACRAMENTO (Mar 17, 2011) - Gov. Jerry Brown was accused of offering "false
choices" to Californians about the state budget by an official of the
opposition Green Party of California, who went on to ask the governor if he
stands "with us for human needs, or will you instead stand for continuing tax
breaks for huge corporations and the very wealthy?"

"The Green Party says no to the false choices offered by yourself, and the
Republicans...what do you stand for?" said Michael Rubin in a letter sent to
Brown this week. Rubin, an Alameda County resident, is a member of the Green
Party of California state coordinating council.

Noting that Brown's current budget proposal contains almost $13 billion in
cuts; cuts to UC and CSU, the Community Colleges, health care and K-12
education, Rubin accused the governor of instituting more "regressive taxes"
in his proposed ballot measure.

"The income tax and the sales tax proposals are regressive taxes. The Green
Party supports a progressive tax structure; that is, the tax structure should
reflect people's ability to pay. The proposed special election is an integral
part of this proposal...if it makes it to the ballot...we will not be
supporting these regressive tax proposals," said Rubin.

"(It) seems that you do not want people to remember that corporate taxes
dropped 40 percent in the years from 1985 to 2005; 52 percent of profitable
corporations paid no state income tax at all (in 2005). The Legislature has
been cutting corporate taxes for years," he added.

"You also are limiting discussion about alternatives. Our choices should not
be cuts plus regressive taxes or even deeper cuts. Some alternatives
are...institute an oil severance tax, tax the rich more than the middle class
(add higher income tax brackets) and redo Prop 13 (restore the split roll,
that is, higher taxes for property that is used for business, not for
owner-occupied housing)," wrote Rubin.



The Green Party of California
PO Box 2828
Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
Web: http://www.cagreens.org
EMail: gpca at greens.org