Special Tax Breaks Resolution

(approved by the California Democratic Council Statewide Convention in San Bernardino on June 19th, 2005)

WHEREAS, the state of California currently faces budget shortfalls in excess of $8 billion dollars and will continue to face budget shortfalls for the foreseeable future; and

WHEREAS, Governor Schwarzenegger and the state legislature have balanced these shortfalls solely through the use of borrowing, accounting gimmicks, and substantial cuts in funding for education, health care, transportation, road repair, and many other crucial government programs, while refusing to enact any tax increases; and

WHEREAS, the wealthiest one percent of Californians currently pay a smaller percentage of their incomes in taxes than ever before,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the California Democratic Council strongly opposes the granting of specific state tax breaks designed solely to benefit individual tax payers with no benefit to the state, such as pending bills SB 259, drafted to restore tax credits to a company owned by multi-billionaire Paul Allen, and SB 1001, created to grant tax breaks on large equipment purchases exclusively to Pacific Southwest Container, a central valley container company.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the California Democratic Council shall sponsor a program to inform the public to oppose such legislation and shall publicly expose any legislator who sponsors or votes for such legislation.