California November 2022 Ballot - Prop 30

Let's make this simple. The ride-share service Lyft has poured $45 million into the campaign in favor of this ballot initiative is telling. Why are they doing this? Because Prop 30 calls for 90% of ride-share miles driven be provided in no-emission vehicles. Prop 30 would impose an addiitional 1.75% income tax on Californians on their income in excess of $2 million.

This is a wealth-grab by Lyft to try to pass on the expense of complying with the no-emission vehicle requirement to taxpayers. Plain and simple. It is also an idea that would increase the personal income tax obligation of California's highest income earners, for no good reason. In 2016, George Skelton of the Los Angeles Times wrote about the fact CA was already too reliant on personal income tax to fund the state's budget. This is from that blog entry:


The top 1% in CA pay 48% of the income taxes
The top 10% in CA pay 79% of the income taxes
The bottom 60% in CA pay only 2% of the income taxes
To be in that top 1% you have to have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $556,638
To be in that top 10% you have to have an AGI of around $149,000
In the upcoming CA fiscal year income taxes will be around 70% of the total revenue.
In CA in 1950 income taxes provided only 10% of the total revenue.
In that upcoming CA fiscal year, sales taxes will provide 22% of the total revenue.
In CA in 1950, sales taxes provided 60% of the total revenue.


This is a solution in search of a problem. Ride share companies and their drivers need to pay for more no-emission vehicles on their own. Taxpayers should not foot this bill. I am voting now on Prop 30