Poll Finds Slim Majority of Voters Support Gov. Brown’s Tax Plan
A slim majority of likely California voters support Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) tax proposal that he is seeking to put on the November ballot, according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, the Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert" reports.
Support for Brown's plan has decreased from two previous PPIC polls, which found that Brown's plan had 68% and 60% support from likely voters.
In addition, a Field Poll released last month found that 58% of likely voters supported Brown's proposal (Yamamura, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 3/7).
Brown's Tax Plan
Brown's plan -- which recently was endorsed by the California Medical Association -- would raise income taxes on Californians earning at least $250,000 annually and increase the sales tax by a half cent. The tax increase would expire at the end of 2016.
The plan is a key component of Brown's $92.6 billion spending proposal for fiscal year 2012-2013 (California Healthline, 2/17).
Details of New PPIC Poll
The new PPIC poll surveyed likely voters between Feb. 21 and Feb. 28. It has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
The poll found that:
- 52% of likely voters support Brown's tax plan;
- 40% oppose it; and
- 8% are undecided (Lin, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 3/7).
PPIC President and CEO Mark Baldassare said the findings "suggests it's going to be a challenge for the governor to pass [the] initiative."
He said that the results likely are lower than in previous PPIC polls because the group used official ballot language for the first time during questioning.
He also noted that vocal opposition from rival tax plans competing for the November ballot may be negatively affecting voters' opinions of Brown's proposal ("Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 3/7).
Details of Rival Plans
The "Millionaires Tax" -- backed by the California Nurses Association -- would increase taxes on state residents earning more than $1 million annually. Some of the revenue would go toward state health services.
Another plan -- called "Our Children, Our Future" -- by civil rights attorney Molly Munger aims to increase income taxes for all residents, with the highest income earners seeing the largest hike. Most of the revenue would support education programs (California Healthline, 2/17).
Brown Administration's Response to Poll
Responding to the recent PPIC poll, Steve Glazer -- Brown's political adviser -- said the new findings should not be compared with earlier polling results because the questions were not the same. He said the new poll is "consistent with our own understanding of where we stand."
Glazer said he is "confident that we're at a place that will provide a successful result" ("Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 3/7).
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