"This measure is misleading, regressive and irresponsible. It's being sold as a lifeline for struggling hospitals, but in reality, it's just another blank check for county officials to spend however they want. Make no mistake - this is not a targeted health care tax. It's a general sales tax, meaning the county can spend it on anything, from administrative salaries, pension and pet projects."
"We've been down this road before. Remember the lottery? Voters were promised it would fund schools. Yeah, right. Measure A's promises to save hospitals are no different. It sounds good on paper, but the math doesn't add up. Even with this proposed tax, the money raised still won't be enough to fix the county's financial problems or "save" its hospitals. Residents should be angry about the barrage of dishonest, glossy flyers that scare people into believing hospital closures are only avoided by passing Measure A."
Measure A would raise Santa Clara County's sales tax to about 10%, potentially reaching 11% when combined with an opted-in transit tax. The increase could cost families hundreds to thousands of dollars annually and is estimated to generate roughly $330 million per year. The tax is a general sales tax, permitting county officials to spend revenue on any purpose, including administrative salaries, pensions, and discretionary projects. Sales taxes are regressive and disproportionately burden low- and middle-income households. The projected revenue would likely be insufficient to resolve county financial shortfalls or definitively prevent hospital closures. North County residents face a double burden where local hospital district taxes already apply.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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