As the bills come rushing out, there are a few that are of particular note. One of these is Nancy Skinner’s AB 2666, which would require the state to maintain a public record of “tax expenditures.” In other words, companies who took big tax credits
The Assembly gave final legislative approval today to heavily lobbied legislation that would post corporations’ use of tax loopholes on the Internet.
Business groups oppose the bill, Assembly Bill 2666 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, so it’s uncertain that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign the measure. (SacBee)
Now, this is, in reality, a very modest measure. It only applies to publicly traded companies, so much of this information would have been public at some point anyway. This just allows the people of the State of California to conveniently access more information about where their tax dollars are going.
Of course the Chamber and their Republican lapdogs see it another way. They only like openness and transparency when it comes to groups they don’t like. But for the voters of California to know that large chunks of their budget is going out on tax credits to single companies? Why, that would be sheer madness. We can’t be having an informed populace like that! Sure, services, we have to demand every last bit of accountability, sunshine, and burdensome compliance. But tax breaks? Sunshine is for the lesser folk, don’t you know?
In the end, much of this comes down to the fact of whether you think these companies should get to take and take from the government, in services, in roads, in skilled labor, etc, without at least acknowledging that they owe a debt and a fair share of that. But, for some, government is only there for a one way flow. Drown it, and you might just discover that you wish for it back.
Publish It all and pass the bill! Arnold should sign this, Why? He’s a lame duck, So why not? It’s not like He could get elected in this state anymore, Besides who would want to hire a has been lame duck actor who failed as a politician in almost everything He tried? He’d not even be ok for a Dog Catcher…
I would love to know who gets tax breaks. And who pays taxes.
I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts that the companies getting the biggest cuts pay next to nothing in taxes.
I’ll bet we’d find companies getting big state contracts for things like private prison services, pay little or nothing in state taxes. I’d really love to know.
But I can see why the Chamber might not want me to. After all, I might not choose to patronize companies that don’t do their civic duty by supporting the state services they use.