# Taxes & Economy

Curated static issue packet for assistant retrieval.

## Links

- App issue page: [Taxes & Economy](https://polit.pages.dev/app/?view=issues&issue=taxes-economy)
- App idea map: [Taxes & Economy ideas](https://polit.pages.dev/app/?view=ideas&issue=taxes-economy)
- Machine-readable packet: [taxes-economy.json](https://polit.pages.dev/llm/issues/taxes-economy.json)
- Issue index: [all curated issues](/llm/issues/index.md)

## Use Rules

- This is a research prototype, not a voter guide, endorsement, or final assessment.
- Many rows are model-generated or unreviewed and should be treated as evidence-navigation aids.
- Missing or limited coverage means the dataset has not ingested, normalized, or balanced that surface yet; it is not evidence that a candidate lacks activity there.
- Use source URLs and record IDs when citing claims. Prefer the linked JSON/JSONL companion files for retrieval.

## Problem Model

Tax and economy rows mix household affordability, state revenue, business conditions, and budget stability. The core question is whether a claim is lowering costs, raising revenue, changing incentives, or explaining economic pressure.

### Analysis Questions

- Is the row about immediate household relief, long-term revenue, business climate, or budget discipline?
- Who pays or benefits, and is the revenue or savings one-time, recurring, broad, or targeted?
- What tradeoff exists between affordability, public services, tax-base stability, and economic incentives?

## Idea Groups

- **Tax relief and cost-of-living pressure**: 2 approachs; 8 candidates
- **Progressive revenue and tax-base design**: 4 approachs; 7 candidates
- **Fiscal discipline and government performance**: 2 approachs; 3 candidates
- **Business climate and infrastructure finance**: 2 approachs; 2 candidates

## Source-Backed Approaches

### Broad cost-of-living priorities

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--broad-cost-of-living-priorities`
- Summary: Frames affordability as a cross-cutting agenda across groceries, utilities, transportation, child care, education, or housing.
- Problem: Voters experience affordability as a bundle of bills rather than one policy silo.
- Mechanism: Set a cross-cutting affordability agenda spanning housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, child care, and education.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Antonio Villaraigosa: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.7`
  - Betty T. Yee: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.7`
  - Chad Bianco: Supports this approach (`support`); 4 source rows; row mix: 3 support rows, 1 mixed / conditional row; confidence `0.82`
  - Eric Swalwell: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.7`
  - Steve Hilton: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.7`
  - Xavier Becerra: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.7`

### Tax cuts and household relief

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--tax-cuts-relief`
- Summary: Cuts broad taxes, targeted taxes, tips taxes, income taxes, or provides cost relief.
- Problem: Tax burden is framed as one reason households and workers cannot keep up with California costs.
- Mechanism: Cut broad or targeted taxes, expand credits, or exempt specific income to raise take-home pay.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Katie Porter: Supports this approach (`support`); 2 source rows; confidence `0.62`
  - Steve Hilton: Supports this approach (`support`); 4 source rows; confidence `0.82`
  - Tony K. Thurmond: Supports this approach (`support`); 3 source rows; row mix: 2 support rows, 1 mixed / conditional row; confidence `0.66`

### Stable tax base and Prop 13 reform

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--tax-base-stability`
- Summary: Changes property-tax rules or tax-base design to reduce volatility and avoid driving taxpayers away.
- Problem: California's revenue system can be volatile or uneven, creating budget swings and arguments about who carries the burden.
- Mechanism: Change tax-base design, property-tax rules, or burden distribution to make revenue fairer or more stable.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Antonio Villaraigosa: Mixed / conditional signal (`qualify`); 3 source rows; confidence `0.64`
  - Chad Bianco: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.7`
  - Tom Steyer: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.7`
  - Tony K. Thurmond: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.7`

### Billionaire tax proposals

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--billionaire-tax-proposals`
- Summary: Raises, supports, or criticizes taxes aimed at billionaires or very high-wealth taxpayers.
- Problem: Some candidates frame extreme wealth as an underused revenue source, while others warn that one-time or mobile tax bases are unstable.
- Mechanism: Use, reject, or redesign billionaire-focused taxes depending on whether the revenue source is durable and enforceable.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Katie Porter: Supports this approach (`support`); 2 source rows; row mix: 1 support row, 1 mixed / conditional row; confidence `0.62`
  - Tony K. Thurmond: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.7`
  - Xavier Becerra: Mixed / conditional signal (`qualify`); 1 source row; confidence `0.5`

### Corporate loophole revenue

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--corporate-loophole-revenue`
- Summary: Closes corporate or commercial real-estate tax loopholes to raise revenue for state needs.
- Problem: State budget needs are framed as partly caused by corporate or commercial real-estate loopholes that narrow the tax base.
- Mechanism: Close corporate or commercial-property loopholes and use the revenue for budget gaps or public priorities.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Tom Steyer: Supports this approach (`support`); 3 source rows; row mix: 2 support rows, 1 mixed / conditional row; confidence `0.7`

### Budget discipline and audits

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--budget-discipline`
- Summary: Emphasizes audits, fiscal discipline, deficit control, or state spending oversight.
- Problem: State budgets can drift into deficits or low-value spending when programs are not regularly measured.
- Mechanism: Use audits, fiscal discipline, and spending oversight to identify waste and prioritize higher-value programs.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Antonio Villaraigosa: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.58`
  - Betty T. Yee: Opposes this approach (`oppose`); 1 source row; confidence `0.72`

### Business climate and job creation

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--jobs-business-growth`
- Summary: Improves small-business conditions, entrepreneurship, workforce growth, or investment climate.
- Problem: Economic opportunity can be constrained by weak job creation, business formation barriers, or workforce mismatch.
- Mechanism: Improve small-business conditions, workforce pipelines, entrepreneurship, and investment climate.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Chad Bianco: Mixed / conditional signal (`qualify`); 1 source row; confidence `0.56`

### Consumer and financial oversight

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--consumer-financial-oversight`
- Summary: Uses consumer protection, financial oversight, or accountability work to police markets and institutions.
- Problem: Consumers can be harmed by opaque financial practices, weak enforcement, or concentrated market power.
- Mechanism: Use oversight, investigations, consumer protection, or financial regulation to police institutions and markets.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Katie Porter: Record-only signal (`record`); 1 source row; confidence `0.72`

### Government performance before new taxes

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--government-performance-before-taxes`
- Summary: Links tax restraint to audits, procurement reform, fraud detection, or better government performance.
- Problem: Taxpayers may resist new revenue if state agencies are seen as wasting money or failing to deliver.
- Mechanism: Audit programs, reform procurement, detect fraud, and improve operations before asking for new taxes.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Matt Mahan: Supports this approach (`support`); 1 source row; confidence `0.58`

### Targeted loophole reform

- Approach ID: `taxes-economy--targeted-loophole-reform`
- Summary: Prioritizes closing specific tax loopholes over broad tax increases.
- Problem: Revenue needs are real, but broad or poorly designed taxes can miss the intended payer or create avoidable side effects.
- Mechanism: Close named loopholes first, and evaluate each proposal against yield, incidence, and avoidance risk.
- Candidate stance rows:
  - Matt Mahan: Opposes this approach (`oppose`); 1 source row; confidence `0.72`

## Assistant Guidance

- Use this page for curated issue/approach structure only.
- Stance labels refer to the selected approach statement, not the candidate's whole position on the issue.
- `qualify` means a mixed or conditional source signal; it is not a final verdict that the candidate is generally qualified.
- For candidate-specific detail, follow candidate packets and evidence JSONL links.
- If a natural-language question does not match this issue, do not stretch this issue page to answer it.
