California Governor Opposes Tax on Rich in Statewide TV Ad

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants voters to reject a new tax on rich people that would pay for more electric vehicles in the nation’s most populous state, warning in a new statewide TV ad that a measure on the ballot this November won’t help the environment but is instead “one company’s cynical scheme to grab a huge taxpayer subsidy.”

Proposition 30 would raise taxes on people who make more than $2 million per year. It would generate up to $5 billion in new tax money each year, and most of that money would go to programs that help people buy electric cars and install charging stations. A smaller amount would go to wildfire prevention response and prevention programs.

The ballot measure’s campaign is paid for by the ride-hailing company Lyft. Last year, state regulators ordered companies like Lyft to make sure nearly all of their rides are in electric vehicles by 2030. Newsom says the ballot measure is Lyft’s attempt to make taxpayers pay for that.

“Don’t be fooled. Prop 30′s been advertised as a climate initiative. But in reality, it was devised by a single corporation to funnel state income taxes to benefit their company,” Newsom says in the ad, which will air in all of the state’s major media markets. “Put simply, Prop 30 is a trojan horse that puts corporate welfare above the fiscal welfare of our entire state.”