Proposition 88 would increase education funding by taxing every real estate parcel $50. If you live on a 4,000 square foot parcel, you would pay an extra $50. If you live on a two-acre parcel, you would pay an extra $50.
A parcel tax would be an entirely new kind of property tax for California. Supporters of the measure state that the funds would be used to reduce class size; that the funds would be controlled locally; and that schools need the money. Opponents argue that the funds won’t be spent where raised; that the funds raised would be controlled by the education establishment in Sacramento; and that this tax would start a slippery slope of new property taxes.
It’s interesting to see who supports and opposes this measure. The supporters are the education establishment (government) in Sacramento. It’s opposed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and most Chambers of Commerce.