March 24, 2006

Lawsuit Filed Against Tax Opponents

"The president of the local chapter of the NAACP has sued the opponents of the county's proposed half-cent sales tax, claiming that a ballot argument against Measure A is misleading and exaggerates the effects of the tax.

The suit, filed Thursday by Rick Callender, asserts that there are several factually incorrect statements in the argument authored by Mountain View City Councilman Greg Perry, including:

- That the tax would give Santa Clara County the highest tax rate in the state.

- That the Silicon Valley Leadership Group is the financial backer of Measure A.

- That SVLG is pushing a bill, SB 552, that would exempt its corporate members from the new tax.

- That the tax would last for more than 30 years.

Callender could not be reached for comment, but State Senator Elaine Alquist, who sponsored SB 552, agreed that the opposition ballot argument is misleading.

Alquist, who represents Gilroy, said the bill is "dead," and in any event, would have had little impact on Measure A."

You can read the story here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at March 24, 2006 09:30 AM