Thread: Gov. Brown Wants $52 Billion Tax Increase to Fix Transportation

Yet, the federal gov't plans to put all the $$$ burden on the states for medicaid, ryan wants to eliminate medicare funding for seniors and force the states to pay the costs, give seniors vouchers for healthcare needs. As it is states & cities already have the most $$$ burden of sanctuary cities, and every city/state pays for illegals' costs yet the federal gov't leaves the border open, has allowed residency and jobs, anchor babies galore when it is the federal gov't job to secure our borders and deport every GD illegal here.

Road repair tax is a responsible plan to get California moving again: Guest commentary

Trucks like these on Interstate 5 in the Tejon Pass between Los Angeles and northern California depend on functional highways to drive the state’s economy. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

By Allan Zaremberg
POSTED: 03/31/17, 5:22 PM PDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
0 COMMENTS


California’s roads, highways and transit systems are the backbone of our state’s $2.4 trillion economy. Every day, millions of Californians take to the streets to get to work or get their children to school. Billions of dollars’ worth of products move across our state every single day.

But after years of underinvestment, California’s transportation infrastructure is facing a crisis. All around our state, roads are falling apart. California drivers spend too many hours on traffic-choked and deteriorating roads, while businesses face increased costs and falling productivity from congested highways.

This week, the California Chamber of Commerce joined Gov. Jerry Brown, legislative leaders and a broad coalition of business, labor, local government and community leaders to support a new transportation plan that will raise the revenue needed to fix our roads and get California moving again. The plan comes with tough accountability measures and constitutional protections to ensure the money is only spent on the roads, highways and transit systems that are in such dire need of investment.

Recognizing the deterioration in our transportation system is something we all agree on. It is clear that our state highways and local roadways are in dire need of capital infusion.

Revenues dedicated to roads have lost purchasing power since they were last increased 23 years ago.

Over time, the bill for our road repairs has added up. The average California driver pays an additional $760 every year in additional fuel and maintenance costs from overcrowded or deteriorating roads.

For nearly a century, user fees like the gas tax have been the basic source of funding for road improvements and upkeep.

This has been a wise approach since the responsibility to pay falls on those who use our transportation system. It also insulates transportation spending from reliance on the volatile and intensely competitive state general fund.

Indeed, for nearly 80 years the state Constitution has shielded gas taxes from being spent on other general programs. Long term infrastructure projects need a reliable, consistent long term funding source.

Asking Californians to pay more is not something the Chamber of Commerce does lightly, or frequently. But in this case, it is the most prudent course of action. The plan would ask the average motorist to pay less than $10 per month.

The basic principle that those who use the roads should help maintain them is one that was embraced by Ronald Reagan and George Deukmejian. President Reagan pushed for a hike in the federal gas tax and Gov. Deukmejian took similar action on the state level in 1990.

Investing in transportation improvements will save taxpayers money in the long run. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that for every $1 spent on road improvements, there is an average benefit of $5.20 in the form of reduced vehicle maintenance costs, fewer traffic delays, lower fuel consumption and improved safety. It costs eight times more to replace a failed road than it does to maintain a road.

There is a difference between frivolous spending and smart investments. Fixing our roads and transportation systems is an investment in our future that will help our economy grow, and improve the quality of life for California residents and businesses.

This is a responsible investment. The public and our economy will be the beneficiaries of a comprehensive funding solution.
Allan Zaremberg is president of the California Chamber of Commerce.

Investing in transportation improvements will save taxpayers money in the long run. The Federal Highway Admin-istration estimates that for every $1 spent on road improvements, there is an average benefit of $5.20 in the form of reduced vehicle maintenance costs, fewer traffic delays, lower fuel consumption and improved safety. It costs eight times more to replace a failed road than it does to maintain a road.

http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/201...est-commentary

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

California’s economy is booming

If you're going to link a story header, at least enter the entire header.

California’s economy is booming. That could change if US-China relations sour.

It's a shame when China is responsible for the success or failure of any state economy in this country.

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

YES.
And the federal government let them come here
and the federal government needs to take all of them out.

The states weren't the ones who left the border open and let them in

and the states aren't allowed to deport them.

This is all on the federal government.

Not so. California shares a lot of the blame.

Excerpt:

"Despite overwhelming evidence that illegal immigration represents an unsustainable fiscal burden to the state, the California Legislature and local governments across the state continue to provide new benefits, new services, and new privileges to illegal aliens, even as the state neglects the needs and concerns of other Californians. The costs will continue to grow so long as the state continues to reward illegal immigration and impedes immigration enforcement. California taxpayers will continue to be the losers in this unhappy scenario," concluded Stein.

http://www.fairus.org/news/illegal-i...ear-finds-fair

Poll: Most Californians oppose Gov. Brown's gas tax plan

Sandy Coronilla 2:05 PM, Mar 30, 2017

Copyright Getty Images
JUSTIN SULLIVAN

SHOW CAPTION

(KGTV)--The results of a new SurveyUSA poll of 500 Californians indicate most people do not support Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to increase a tax on gasoline to pay for road repairs and transportation improvements.

The new state road repair and transportation investment package is being considered by the California legislature. If passed, the bill would spend $52 billion over 10 years and take steps to guarantee the money is only spent on transportation. Some of that money would be raised through a gas tax and car fee.

Here are the results of the survey:

1. In general, how would you rate the condition of roads and highways in California?

• 8% Excellent
• 26% Good
• 38% Fair
• 27% Poor
• 1% Not sure

2. A new California road repair and transportation investment package is being considered by the legislature. If passed, the bill would spend $52 billion dollars over ten years, and take steps to guarantee the money is only spent on transportation.

Some of the money would be raised by a 12 cent per gallon increase in the tax on gasoline. Do you support or oppose this part of the plan?

• 37% Support
• 44% Oppose
• 19% Not sure

3. Some of the money would be raised by a 20 cent per gallon increase in the tax on diesel fuel. Do you support or oppose this part of the plan?

• 36% Support
• 46% Oppose
• 18% Not sure

4. Some of the money would be raised by a $100 fee on electric and hybrid vehicles, which use less fuel. Do you support or oppose this part of the plan?

• 42% Support
• 43% Oppose
• 14% Not sure

5. The proposal also calls for a "transportation improvement fee," similar to the vehicle registration fee owners currently pay the DMV annually. The fee would range from $25-$175 a year based on a vehicle's value. Do you support or oppose this fee?

• 26% Support
• 59% Oppose
• 14% Not sure

6. State Republicans are calling the plan the largest gas tax increase in state history, adding $5 billion to Caltrans' budget of $10.5 billion. Do you think the additional funds are needed or should Caltrans make better use of gas tax revenue it currently gets?

• 23% Additional funds needed
• 61% Make better use of revenue
• 16% Not sure

KABC-TV Los Angeles, KFSN-TV Fresno, KGTV-TV San Diego, KPIX-TV San Francisco and San Diego Union-Tribune sponsored this survey.

Sandy Coronilla is a KGTV digital producer. Follow her @10NewsSandy

http://www.10news.com/news/poll-most...s-gas-tax-plan

China just bought Blackstone's shares of SeaWorld - they will open parks in china to continue the capturing and imprisonment of orca whales. Such as the pic below, a whale in a kitty pool. They become ill from chemicals added to their confined water space, antibiotics for deteriorating skin issues, mouth problems, forced breeding artificially, driven nuts with the whole routine, then candida from all the antibiotics of which the last deaths were the cause. china's kind of industry - cruelty to animals.

From Blackstone To ‘Blackfish,’ A SeaWorld Saga Concludes

By Pitch Book on in Business

When it comes to their portfolio companies, private equity firms much prefer making profits to making headlines—particularly when those headlines involve allegations of animal torture, and particularly when they move from the business section into the larger cultural zeitgeist.

Blackstone / SeaWorld

But that was precisely the situation in which Blackstone found itself upon the 2013 release of the documentary “Blackfish,” which shined a light on the abusive treatment of orca whales at SeaWorld and led to a wholesale transformation in the way the theme park goes about its business.

There’s a reason Blackstone is Blackstone, though. For the buyout giant, there’s no reason profits and headlines can’t go hand in hand. The firm has agreed to completely exit its stake in SeaWorld Entertainment (NYSE: SEAS), striking a deal to sell its 21% interest to China’s Zhonghong Zhuoye for $23 per share, or about $449 million—reportedly representing a 2.7x return on Blackstone’s initial equity investment.

That investment occurred in 2009, when Blackstone acquired the company then known as Busch Entertainment for as much as $2.7 billion. In 2011 and 2012, Blackstone extracted a combined $610 million in dividends from the business. After first considering a sale to Apollo Global Management or Six Flags (NYSE: SIX), SeaWorld went public in 2013 at a valuation of about $2.5 billion, and Blackstone sold a reported $1.7 billion of the company’s stock in the coming years.

Yet the price of that stock has dipped from nearly $40 shortly after its IPO to as low as $12.15 last fall, largely a response to “Blackfish” and the changes it wrought. In the wake of the film and the ensuing backlash, SeaWorld decided to phase out its use of orcas as entertainment and cease keeping the creatures in captivity, a significant change in strategy.

Nonetheless, Blackstone found a buyer willing to pay a premium of about 33% to SeaWorld’s share price before news of the deal—in the process valuing the company at about $2.1 billion, not that far off the cash price Blackstone paid eight years ago.

SeaWorld will continue to face new challenges as it tries to transform into a more conservation-minded organization, but Blackstone’s only remaining role in the whole affair is to pass out the proceeds to its LPs.

http://www.valuewalk.com/2017/03/blackstone-blackfish-seaworld-saga-concludes/

Originally Posted by Jean

Isn't one of the main reasons we pay taxes is for infrastructure? On and on it goes....will never be enough.

Jerry Brown funnels the money to pay for medical, education and welfare for illegal immigrants.

The tax money never goes to road infrastructure, all the roads are a mess!

Originally Posted by MW

How is this for a novel idea ........ just roll up the illegal alien red carpet and place a "please keep out" sign on the front door?

To me it sounds like the good citizens of California are already overburdened with more than their fair share where taxes are concerned. Any argument to support the tax increase is wasted on me while the state continuously acts to subsidize the support of millions of illegal aliens.

The illegal aliens vote in the millions and they are the ones that keep voting for tax increases
because they know they are not the ones paying the tax.

They need the citizens to pay more taxes so they can get freebies.