Argument For: 

• “Proposition 13 was designed to make it harder to raise taxes, but court decisions created loopholes that allow special interests to impose massive new tax…Prop. 43 closes these loopholes.”

• “Californians are already forced to pay the highest taxes in the nation and we literally have seen millions of working families flee the high cost of our state – enough is enough.”

• If services are necessary then 66% will vote for it

• When voter turnout is low, gives outsized power to a small (51%) of voters

• If taxpayers are asked to pay more, they deserve the right to vote and the confidence their money will be spent as promised.

• Protects taxpayers, homeowners and renters from new real estate taxes.

Argument against:

• Funding cuts make this a terrible time to raise the bar

• Makes it harder to fund critical services like police and fire departments, fix and repair local roads, staff our local schools or backfill federal healthcare cuts.

• This hands a small group of voters the power to veto solutions, even when the majority supports them.

• It empowers just over one-third of voters to block what nearly 67% want.

• Designed to protect the powerful few, at everyone else’s expense. 

Supporters: 

• California Taxpayers Association

• Family Business Association of California

• California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce

• California Republican Party

Opposers:

• California Professional Firefighters

• California Federation of Teachers

• Nurse Alliance of SEIU CA

• Democratic Party of California