With the 30th anniversary of Proposition 13's passage drawing near, a poll released May 22 by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that support for the landmark tax reform initiative is running at 59 percent among adult residents, and 67 percent among likely voters.
(Cal-Tax: The finding that 67 percent of likely voters support Proposition 13 indicates that the initiative has grown in popularity since June 6, 1978, when it passed with 64.8 percent of the vote.)
The PPIC poll indicates that most voters consider the aftereffects of Proposition 13 to be a "mostly good thing."
Besides reducing property tax rates to 1 percent of assessed value, Proposition 13 required a two-thirds vote on all new local special taxes. The poll found that 53 percent of likely voters felt that Proposition 13's two-thirds vote requirement had either a "good effect" or "no effect" on California's ability to raise revenue through new local special taxes. The polling showed that when it comes to the two-thirds requirement, Republicans and independents are roughly twice as supportive as Democrats.
The poll also found that most Californians oppose a frequently proposed alternative system that would allow local special taxes to pass with a 55 percent majority (61 percent of likely voters opposed the idea).
Other findings from the poll found that 67 percent of Californians consider the state's budget situation to be problematic, and 65 percent believe the system needs to be reformed.
On the issue of spending, Californians support limiting the amount of money the state can spend each year (66 percent). And more likely voters would support "lower taxes and fewer services" than "higher taxes and more services."
Cal-TaxReports May 27, 2008
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