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LA Times: The Preschool-Tax Folly

The LA Times opposes Rob Reiner's proposed "Universal Pre-School" scheme:

The last thing California needs right now is to raise another huge sum of money — $2.3 billion a year to start — that can't be used to close existing gaps.

Reiner would do that with a higher tax on incomes of more than $400,000 a year. Last November, voters approved a poorly thought-out measure to tax million-dollar earners to fund mental health programs. The line of good causes calling out for a tax on the rich will only get longer.

This editorial page has advocated reinstating higher tax levels on top incomes, but only if the revenue is used to heal the crippled general fund, and only temporarily. With a healthier budget, the Legislature could have a rational discussion about funding more preschool.