As if we need another way to promote laziness, our "ENTITLED" gets another free ride, thanks to the taxpaying citizens, what few are left in this damn state.
From marijuana to millionaires, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to discuss a range of tax proposals Tuesday as it considers four options for the November ballot to bolster funds to help the homeless.
A 1-percent sales tax on medical marijuana could generate $1.3 million a year, according to a county report. The estimate is based on data that found that medical marijuana sales generated $132 million in Los Angeles County in 2014. A 10 percent tax could generate $13 million annually. If recreational marijuana is approved by voters in November, a 5 to 10 percent sales tax could bring in $33 million to $117 million.
But a sales tax on marijuana could push sales underground, county officials noted. Americans for Safe Access, the nation’s largest medical cannabis patient advocacy organization, opposes the measures.
“Taxing the sick and dying to pay for programs for another beleaguered segment of your constituency is problematic,” according to a letter by the organization slated to be presented to the board. “Unlike prescription drugs, patients are not reimbursed for their cannabis purchases by their health plan, nor can they deduct it from their taxes. Thus, the burden of this tax would rest squarely on the patient.”
Another option is a general sales tax on county residents, excluding those in some cities such as Long Beach, where voters already approved a 1-percent sales tax in June to help pay for infrastructure. Either a quarter-cent or a half-cent sales tax on the rest of the county will be discussed, raising between $355 million to $710 million a year. But that option would be competing with another: Measure R. Last month, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency voted 11-2 to move forward with a November ballot measure calling for a half-cent sales-tax hike to raise money for public transit projects and maintenance across the county.
Supervisors also will look at a 3-cent per-square-foot parcel tax that could raise an estimated $272 million a year to provide services for the homeless, with everything from quicker housing placement to medical and mental health care needs.
That amount would provide a boost but falls short of the $450 million needed annually to provide services countywide.
To shore up the deficit, three of the five supervisors voted in May to look into a ballot measure that would tax the county’s top income earners. To do that, state law would have to be changed by a simple majority vote in the Legislature. But lawmakers ended the session in June without taking up the issue.
Supervisors also will hear about redirecting funds from Measure B, a special tax which already goes toward improving trauma centers, emergency services and bioterrorism response.
But according to a county report, all Measure B money assigned to those departments is needed and redirecting any funds “would create a deficit in their budgets.”
The board has until Aug. 9 to agree to place measures on the November ticket. Last week, they approved a motion to place a 1.5 cents per square foot parcel tax on the ballot to ask voters to help pay for parks. The move raised concerns among some about ballot crowding.
“There are 17 state ballot measures and four to six local measures to be added,” Gary Toebben, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, told the board last week. “On the local level, the Chamber’s responsibilities are to transportation and homelessness.”
With more than 40,000 people living in tents, in their cars and sleeping on the streets, city and county officials declared homelessness an emergency last year. The county dedicated $150 million to bolster services this year, but supervisors say a steady funding stream is needed to continue programs.
FROM THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE
From marijuana to millionaires, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to discuss a range of tax proposals Tuesday as it considers four options for the November ballot to bolster funds to help the homeless.
A 1-percent sales tax on medical marijuana could generate $1.3 million a year, according to a county report. The estimate is based on data that found that medical marijuana sales generated $132 million in Los Angeles County in 2014. A 10 percent tax could generate $13 million annually. If recreational marijuana is approved by voters in November, a 5 to 10 percent sales tax could bring in $33 million to $117 million.
But a sales tax on marijuana could push sales underground, county officials noted. Americans for Safe Access, the nation’s largest medical cannabis patient advocacy organization, opposes the measures.
“Taxing the sick and dying to pay for programs for another beleaguered segment of your constituency is problematic,” according to a letter by the organization slated to be presented to the board. “Unlike prescription drugs, patients are not reimbursed for their cannabis purchases by their health plan, nor can they deduct it from their taxes. Thus, the burden of this tax would rest squarely on the patient.”
Another option is a general sales tax on county residents, excluding those in some cities such as Long Beach, where voters already approved a 1-percent sales tax in June to help pay for infrastructure. Either a quarter-cent or a half-cent sales tax on the rest of the county will be discussed, raising between $355 million to $710 million a year. But that option would be competing with another: Measure R. Last month, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency voted 11-2 to move forward with a November ballot measure calling for a half-cent sales-tax hike to raise money for public transit projects and maintenance across the county.
Supervisors also will look at a 3-cent per-square-foot parcel tax that could raise an estimated $272 million a year to provide services for the homeless, with everything from quicker housing placement to medical and mental health care needs.
That amount would provide a boost but falls short of the $450 million needed annually to provide services countywide.
To shore up the deficit, three of the five supervisors voted in May to look into a ballot measure that would tax the county’s top income earners. To do that, state law would have to be changed by a simple majority vote in the Legislature. But lawmakers ended the session in June without taking up the issue.
Supervisors also will hear about redirecting funds from Measure B, a special tax which already goes toward improving trauma centers, emergency services and bioterrorism response.
But according to a county report, all Measure B money assigned to those departments is needed and redirecting any funds “would create a deficit in their budgets.”
The board has until Aug. 9 to agree to place measures on the November ticket. Last week, they approved a motion to place a 1.5 cents per square foot parcel tax on the ballot to ask voters to help pay for parks. The move raised concerns among some about ballot crowding.
“There are 17 state ballot measures and four to six local measures to be added,” Gary Toebben, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, told the board last week. “On the local level, the Chamber’s responsibilities are to transportation and homelessness.”
With more than 40,000 people living in tents, in their cars and sleeping on the streets, city and county officials declared homelessness an emergency last year. The county dedicated $150 million to bolster services this year, but supervisors say a steady funding stream is needed to continue programs.
FROM THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE
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