Cover Story Daily Chuckle Local News Social Butterfly Commentary Professional Advice ..... The Computer Buzz ..... Your Body Can Heal Itself! Pet of the Week Capitol Report Letters to the Editor In the Spotlight Double Coupons Chamber of Commerce Website Links Service Directory Business & Professions Where to find The Paper How to Subscribe Archive Marketing/MediaKit Contact Us Search the site	Senator	August 26th, 2010
	Tax Swap Would Hurt Middle-Class the Most By Senator Mark Wyland (R-Carlsbad) Earlier this month, Liberals proposed a budget “solution” they believed would lower your taxes—but only by raising them first. The plan would increase state income and vehicle taxes, but would decrease state sales tax. They claimed that taxpayers would find savings in federal deductions and lower costs on purchases. After a through examination, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) found that the plan would actually raise taxes on middle-class Californians. In fact, the LAO predicted that taxpayers earning between $20,000 and $200,000 annually would suffer a collective $1.6 billion tax increase next year. This is typical in the Legislature: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. We must drop the gimmicks and focus on finding real budget savings. Pulling the wool over the eyes of Californians with complicated maneuvers and fishy schemes is no serious attempt to close a $19 billion budget deficit. I encourage you to review the LAO’s report by visiting www.lao.ca.gov. Common-Sense Reforms to Cut Waste and Abuse Will Help Reduce State Overspending By Assemblyman Martin Garrick California’s budget is more than 50 days overdue, and the state is facing a cash crisis. The Controller has warned he may have to soon issue IOU’s to vendors and taxpayers. Republicans stand united behind a responsible plan that sets priorities and reduces spending through reform. Consider that Medi-Cal recipients currently pay nothing for health care. Adding a $3 to $5 co-pay for prescriptions, and standard co-pays for doctor visits, could save $300 million annually. Taxpayers also pay $5.7 billion to In- Home Supportive Services providers for basic care for low-income Californians. This program is ripe for fraud and abuse. Adding a doctor certification could save $750 million dollars. Republicans have also proposed reducing CalWORKS – the program that provides cash benefits to welfare recipients – by $1.6 billion. There have been recent reports of welfare recipients being caught using government- issued debit cards at casinos and strip clubs. Even in the face of these abuses, Democrats have rejected reform. Instead, they are pushing the same income, sales and car tax hikes rejected by voters last year. If Democrats don’t like our ideas, they must propose their own. There is no excuse to impose massive tax increases on middle-class Californians, while rejecting reform.