WHEN Americans vote in next month’s midterm elections, one question on the ballot in California could echo far beyond the state: should the ultra-wealthy pay a special tax on their fortunes?
The proposal would require California’s roughly 200 billionaires to hand over five percent of their net worth that will mostly be used to fund the public healthcare system gutted by President Donald Trump, and on which around half of Californians depend. Advocates hope the move would set a precedent for other parts of the country at a time of rising anger over surging inequality in the United States, as the fortunes of tech titans like Elon Musk reach eye-watering levels.
Loren Fierman, a retired graphic designer who relies on Medicare — the public programme that provides healthcare for retirees and the disabled — said the money would barely register for the mega-rich. “It’s like a drop in their bucket,” she told AFP. “It means very little to them, but it means everything to people that need healthcare.”
Opponents of the ballot measure, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, have stumped up more than $205 million to defeat so-called Proposition 40, arguing it will push the wealthy to leave California, reducing the amount of tax the state can raise. — AFP
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