AGAINST: https://www.smdailyjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-no-on-measure-w/article_5219f670-d720-11e8-a84f-1b7809d5a2e7.html
Measure W is a measure on the local ballot this November. This measure has raised questions about the allocations of funding to fix the issues of traffic congestion, road repair, and transit systems in San Mateo County. A yes vote on this measure would mean a vote in favor of implementing a 0.5% sales tax on all qualified retail transactions for 30 years beginning on July 1, 2019. This tax money would be used to fund road improvements on highways throughout the county, including 101 and 280, fund transit services (SamTrans, Caltrain, etc.), and to implement the San Mateo County Congestion Relief Plan. A no vote on this measure would mean voting against the sales tax. The measure on the ballot states that the implemented sales tax will provide “approximately $80 million annual that the State cannot take away”, meaning it will be regulated at the local level and therefore, theoretically, ensure that the money will reach our local level issues. However, citizens in San Mateo County are already paying state and federal level gas taxes, as well as recently increased bridge tolls, both of which are funds meant to be allocated to similar transit improvements. This measure proves to be controversial for San Mateo County voters: should there be a tax at the local level to fix local roads and programs, or should we rely on the already implemented state taxes. This issue stems from the overlapping responsibilities of the different levels of federalism.
- Are California's roads and transit systems more likely to be repaired by the local, state, or federal government? Why?
- Should the tax be implemented on all retail transactions, despite the fact that not everyone in the county uses the roads or services they’d be paying to fix?
- Do you think the measure will pass? Why?
Clara Kennedy
ReplyDelete1. California's roads and transit systems are more likely to be repaired by the local government because it is a smaller scale project that is very community specific. Also, since the local government is most likely to be aware of the issues with a certain transit system or road, the local government is most likely to be the level of government to take action, even if generic funds are allocated by the State and Federal governments for the purpose of improving roads and transit systems.
2. Yes, I believe that the tax should be implemented on all retail transactions. For people living in a community, it is practically impossible to avoid use of the roads or transit in some way shape or form. Therefore, these changes will influence the lives of all community members. If people take public transit, they will have a better way to get to places they need to be. If people primarily drive, they will reap the benefits of better roads either from driving on them or by experiencing less traffic and congestion due to a better transportation flow in the community as a whole.
3. I think that it is very difficult to predict whether the measure will pass due to prior voting patterns on increasing sales taxes. Sales taxes were increased in Burlingame with a majority in the 2017 election, but not with overwhelming support. As this sales tax increase will be even greater, it makes the likelihood of the measure passing lower. However, the demographics of the county suggest that a majority of people may be in support of the measure. Therefore, I think that it is more likely than not that the measure will pass, but that the decision may be determined by voter turnout from specific demographics.
1. California’s roads and transit systems are more likely to be repaired by the local and state governments. All of the local, state, and federal government fund transportation infrastructure, but the federal government primarily manages safety requirements of transportation. The state manages the highways and roads, including maintaining and repairing them. On the other hand, the local government could probably repair the roads and transit systems that are not a part of the interstate highway.
ReplyDelete2. The tax should be implemented on all retail transactions because the tax is only one-half cent on all sales, which is not a lot of money. By paying this sales tax, people are contributing to the overall community, even if they do not benefit from these changes. Additionally, the roads and transit systems are used by many people every day, meaning that the small price to pay will help improve the commutes of many others.
3. I believe this measure will not be passed because it requires a ⅔ majority to be passed. It will be hard to receive this many people’s votes because the tax in San Mateo County is already pretty high compared to the rest of California, and people do not want it to go even higher. However, the tax is relatively small and may influence people to support it because of the alleged benefits that will result over time.
1. Californias roads are more likely to be repaired by the state and federal governments because the state and federal government collect way more taxes than the local government. The federal government can grant grants to states to work on their infrastructure. But since measure W is a local tax, the local government will probably pay for these improvements.
ReplyDelete2. I think the tax should be on all retail transactons because there is no easy way to only implement it on some, and there would be more money gotten from the taxes. It will be hard to build great roads if not everyone contributes to the cause of better roads because California is known to have one of the worst roads in the country.
3. I dont think it will get passed because nobody wants to pay extra for retail sales. Since it needs a 2/3 majority, it will be even harder to pass. Taxes are already annoying, so many people would not vote to get more and not even see anything being done with the taxes.
Julia Maxwell
ReplyDelete1. I think that California's roads are more likely to be repaired by local and state governments because the federal government has such a large area to cover that they would not get to every project. Local governments will know the situation and be more motivated to fix the problem.
2.I think that the tax should be implemented because roads are such a big part of life, and most people use them. Even if the tax does not help everyone directly, it helps communities raise money as a whole.
3. I do not think that the measure will pass because people do not like to be taxed more than they already are. There is probably not a large amount of support for the tax to be implemented.
1. I believe that California's roads are more likely to be repaired by the local governments than either state or federal. I believe that this is true as the local government is the one that is most impacted by the problems. This is because the local government covers a certain area and if there is a problem within one area it makes up a larger portion of the area they are governing. Compared to state and federal government each road in their area is more important. But when it comes to the highways I believe that the states would be the ones responsible for repairing them. This is because highways are not under the control of a single local government and the cooperation between local governments would only make it more difficult to maintain the highways.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that the retail tax should be placed on all retail transactions as there is no easy way to separate those that use the roads and those who don't. Also it is hard to never use the roads as play a large part in peoples' lives as they use them for any form of transportation. Even if it does not benefit each person individually it will improve the entire community in the end.
3. I believe that it will be very difficult to pass as it would require a 2/3 majority to pass. This would be difficult to pass as no one likes to be taxed when they cannot see the immediate benefits of the taxes. Even though this tax would benefit our community in the long run people would still be against it as they only see the immediate loss of money rather than the long term impacts.
1. I think the state government is most likely to fix California's roads. While they earn more taxes than the local government, they also care more about local and state issues than the federal government. This combination of factors means that the state government is the most likely to fix the roads.
ReplyDelete2. I think the retail tax should be placed on all retail transactions. It will be the most efficient way to raise enough taxes for the project and it is small enough as to not raise a lot of protest from most of the citizens. Although it will not help everyone, it will help a large amount of people because a majority of people in the community use roads.
3. I do not think this measure will pass. A lot of people are already against sales taxes, and increasing it more may cause backlash from the community. It needs a 2/3 majority to pass, and as so many people are against it, it probably will not get the support that it needs.
1. I think the state government would address a transit problem or highway issue, but local governments would fix the roads in general. The state governments have more funds to address the larger issues, but the local governments have a smaller area to focus on.
ReplyDelete2. When looking at the big picture, all people are affected by roads/transportation. The 0.5% sales tax would quickly raise the money for this project and benefit the community as a whole. Therefore, the retail tax should be placed on all retail transactions.
3. Nobody likes more taxes, so the measure will most likely not pass.
1. I think it depends on the roads and transit systems. If the transit system is large in scale like a highway that spans across multiple local governments, I think the state government would take over. This is beneficial because it will make the process more efficient. For roads, local governments will take over because they are directly affected.
ReplyDelete2. Yes , it would be hard to give people leniency. It is very hard to tell if they use the road or not. You either tax everyone or no one. There is no way to determine whether people actually use the road or not.
3. I don't think the measure will pass because no one likes paying more taxes. They probably also might not see the need to fix the roads. Also mentioned in your paragrpah were some fears that people had concerning the measure, which I believe will play an effect.
ReplyDeleteAre California's roads and transit systems more likely to be repaired by the local, state, or federal government? Why? I think that California's roads and transit systems are more likely to be repaired by local or state governments because the federal government takes an extended amount of time to actually repair things.
Should the tax be implemented on all retail transactions, despite the fact that not everyone in the county uses the roads or services they’d be paying to fix?
I think the tax should not be implemented on retail transactions, they should be an additional one time charge for when you buy a car. For example, the Gas Guzzler Tax.
Do you think the measure will pass? Why? I do not think that the measure will pass because we as a class established that NOBODY likes paying taxes. Many also aren't car enthusiasts and care about the condition of the road unless you're driving on roads that were crusted over with lava.
1. The California roads and transit system are more likely to be repaired by the local or state governments because they are more efficient than the federal government.
ReplyDelete2. Personally, I feel like the tax should be implemented as everyone benefits from the project, and the money people pay from this tax can be used to pay for the project.
3. I do not think that this measure will pass for the sole reason that nobody actually likes paying more taxes. Not only this, but most people are selfish, so they wouldn't view the project as something of importance.