Tax Reform, Restructuring and Reduction
- Taxes are too high and too complicated. They are driving away businesses, working families and entrepreneurs.
- State income taxes do not need to be so complex. We should offer taxpayers an alternative of a simple percentage of their federal tax. This could reduce the cost of the state's Franchise Tax Board.
- Social spending is out of control. We provide too many benefits at too high a level to too many people. I don't want to take funds from the truly needy. However, many of our benefits have criteria that are too easy to meet and therefore create dependence on the state.
- Some state employee unions are out of control. This is not good for anyone.
- Despite being a union member, I am strongly opposed to the excessive power some state workers' unions exert on state and local governments.
- We need to alter the make-up of bargaining groups to better represent taxpayers.
- Unsustainable benefits to some employee groups are bankrupting the state and many local governments.
- I support in principle the changes proposed by the Parsky Commission (Final Report of the Commission on the 21st Century Economy)
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