California’s Budget Crisis
In response to the column by Joel Fox (Column Right, Commentary, March 31), I would like to mention some significant facts about Proposition 13.
Fox stated that “if proposed increases (in taxes) piled up a surplus, the state would be ripe for a replay of Proposition 13.” This comment is quite interesting since it was Proposition 13 that played a key role in the financial disaster that faces the residents of California today! The state had a surplus back in 1978 and, therefore, the taxpayers wanted their property taxes to be slashed, and the manner in which it was to be accomplished had little significance to residents.
If the owner of a house purchased several years ago had been paying his fair share along with his neighbor with a similar house that was bought more recently, the property tax assessments would be “ripe” enough to be declared as being fair and the state would not be in the situation that we now face.
More appropriate ways could have been found to deal with the rapidly escalating property taxes, but the people of California were in a rush to follow the ridiculous plan of Howard Jarvis. I hope we never see his kind again!
RAY ACKERMAN
Los Angeles
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