Spend less...

They should take the amount of money estimated gained by this tax, then craft a salary reduction plan for county employees that will achieve the same results. I'd like to compare options and see which looks best overall for the county and the majority of its residents.

I'm voting "NO." Our combined tax burden is too high and politicians continue to push wasteful projects like high-speed rail.

I'll vote against all tax increase proposals until government learns to live within its means.

I will support progressive taxes - like income tax - but I will no longer support regressive taxes like the sales tax. I'm voting against this.

We should abolish the sales tax entirely, and depend upon income taxes and useage taxes.

For those interested in the facts and figures of the county budget, the 2012 budget is available here:

Web Link

Facts and figures? This is the Internet! We don't need no stinking facts and figures.

NO NO NO

Let's see....Hummmmm 8.3 % and going up. Darn near 10 % at the State level, 20 to 35 % Fed Inc Tax, 45 cents per gallon fed tax,,,,(avg.= roughly $225... per year... Ya Know What ??

Vote for ANYONE that is for NO NEW TAXES,, Cut out the give-away mentality (get a job or starv or at least WORK for your welfare check + drug tests), Cut illegal's benefits... and darn, we might have a society worth keeping...
And "they" wonder why bartering and under the table jobs are popular ???

Bye George

I agree with A. Lincoln that regressive taxes are a bad idea and even though the sales tax is not as regressive as it could be (because many essentials are not taxed), it is still regressive.

I will support this tax increase, however, because the County needs it and, contrary to many other posters, I believe the County has already cut back too much. I also disagree with the notion that government employees are generally overpaid (though there are exceptions) and I believe the California pension system is in need of revision, not cancellation.

I would also support a dramatic revision of the sales tax code to add non-essential services such as tax return preparation services, investment fund management services, investment brokerage services and a wide variety of other financial and legal services.

However, such essential services as education and health services should not be taxed, even when they are not provided by the government.

I'll add my NO vote to the chorus here.

Also, our civil "servants" are overpaid at all levels. It used to be they were paid less, but had good benefits.

Now they have both good pay and benefits way better than the people who pay their salaries. I speak from direct experience. I used to work for the City.

Time to put a stop to this gravy train.

Imagine my shock to read on your website that the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors want to jack up out sales tax yet again. These days, every ballot contains a tax increase proposal. Didn’t we just approve a BART tax and a vehicle registration fee? When will it end?

For all practical purposes, we’re still in a recession. Despite this, governments at all levels refuse to cut spending as evidenced by Governor Brown’s determination to issue high speed rail bonds that we can’t afford to pay back. Despite this, the governor wants voters to agree to raise state taxes in November. Now the county is piling on in the effort to increase our already excessive taxes.

In this miserable economic climate, it is offensive for the County to propose piling on the tax burden. Vote “NO” an all tax increases this November. I will campaign and vote against it and encourage others to do likewise.

Government in general is way to big. When I see 3 chiefs watching one worker do the job, then there is something really wrong with that picture.

California has over 500 government run agency. All of those staffed with government workers picking up a nice salary and benefits.

Government needs to reduce the fat, the waste, and find where all the hidden money has gone. People can look at pie charts all day, but the devil is in the details. And it's the details that will tell the story of the waste and abuse from the higher ups and the lower downs.

Will anything change, NO. What we have here is the Fox guarding the hen house. Were the fox is the government and the hen house is the people. Rather then cutting the abuses, they threaten to cut from the needed essentials, police, schools, and seniors. Something really wrong here.