Only 45 percent of California’s registered voters support the split-roll property tax initiative, according to poll numbers released this month by the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. This is the fifth independent public poll during the last 12 months to show that less than 50 percent of voters support the measure.
The weak support for the $12.5 billion-a-year property tax increase was voiced despite a separate finding in the USC poll that 56 percent of the respondents believe the state should spend more on public schools – an indication that voters are aware the split-roll initiative has major problems and would greatly harm the economy.
“As voters learn the truth about the attack on Proposition 13 and the $12.5 billion price tag in higher property taxes that will be paid by Californians each year, they are opposing the flawed initiative in droves,” CalTax President Rob Gutierrez said. “Passage of this flawed initiative would result in higher costs for consumers on everything we buy and use, including milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables, and daily necessities like gas and childcare.”
In November, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) found that only 46 percent of likely voters support the split-roll measure. A September PPIC poll found just 47 percent of likely voters support the tax hike, while a January 2019 poll from the organization found 49 percent support.
In July, Change Research found that only 39 percent of likely voters supported the measure.
CalTax co-chairs the split-roll opposition campaign, Californians to Save Prop 13 and Stop Higher Property Taxes, along with the California Chamber of Commerce, California Business Roundtable, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and National Federation of Independent Business.
After the PPIC announced its September poll, PPIC President Mark Baldassare said he consistently finds that 60 percent of voters believe Proposition 13 is “a good thing.”