In all, the governor vetoed six bills that would have created new tax breaks or expanded an existing one. He said those measures, together with repeal of the tax on feminine hygiene products, would collectively reduce state revenue by $300 million through the coming year.
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“I thank Governor Brown for signing SB 1015, since this critically important legislation will allow domestic workers to continue receiving overtime now and into the future”, Leyva said in a statement.
Brown said “tax breaks are the same as new spending” because both take away from the California General Fund budget. Advocates argue that the tampon tax creates a double standard and additional tax burden on women. Supporters of Assembly Bill 717 likewise pointed out that parents are compelled to buy diapers. As such, they must be considered during budget deliberations so that all spending proposals are weighed against each other at the same time.
They noted that California has exempted less indispensable consumer products, such as candy, from sales taxes.
Reaction to Brown’s veto from Asm. Overriding a veto in California requires a two-thirds vote in both the state Senate and Assembly, and the legislative session ended August 31. Nixing diaper taxes would have resulted in a state and local revenue loss of about $35 million annually, according to a legislative analysis. “Women matter and we need to send that message to the Governor”.
“This is even more important when the state’s budget remains precariously balanced”, Brown wrote.
“We will continue working to achieve sales tax reform and bridge the diaper gap that forces too many of California’s working families to struggle”, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego. Other tax breaks that Brown announced vetoing include: – SB907, which would have extended personal income tax relief for forgiven debt from mortgage relief provided to homeowners for homes that were underwater during the mortgage crisis; – AB2127, which would have lowered the amount of ethanol required in a gasoline blend in order for it to qualify for a discounted gas tax; – AB2728, which would have extended an expiring tax break for investments by insurance companies in lower-income communities; – SB898, which would have exempted animal blood used by veterinarians from sales taxes.
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Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers Union said in a statement that ”for 78 years, a Jim Crow-era law discriminated against farm workers by denying us the same overtime rights that other workers benefit from”. “Let me be clear, on biology, periods are not luxuries and they are definitely not something women should be ashamed of, period!”
