Advertisement

For taxes, better later than sooner, economist says

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Gov. Jerry Brown has been pushing to raise taxes since soon after he took office in 2011, but it may be a good thing he wasn’t successful until recently, a top Los Angeles County economist said Thursday.

Robert Kleinhenz, the chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., said raising taxes earlier in Brown’s term could have harmed California’s economic recovery.

Advertisement

‘We were still reeling from the recession,’ he said at a lunch hosted by the Sacramento Press Club. ‘It could have taken an already dire situation and made it worse.’

In his first year in office, Brown was unable to persuade Republicans to help him place a tax measure on the ballot, which requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature. Eventually he spearheaded a petition drive to collect enough signatures to bypass lawmakers and ask voters to raise taxes.

Voters approved the governor’s tax measure, Proposition 30, in November, temporarily raising the sales tax and levies on the wealthy.

Kleinhenz said the higher taxes, especially the sales tax, could ‘take the edge off’ the state’s economic recovery but said he doubted it could be derailed at this point.

‘We’ve got enough momentum in the economy to move forward,’ he said

Gil Duran, a spokesman for the governor, declined comment.

ALSO:

California taxes surge in January, report says

Advertisement

Jerry Brown, lawmakers get higher marks in new poll

Gun control backed in survey; many fear mass shootings

-- Chris Megerian in Sacramento
twitter.com/chrismegerian

Advertisement