California Dems STRIKE DOWN GOP proposal to exempt tax on tips

The Democrat controlled legislature of California struck down a Republican proposal on Thursday that would have exempted tipped income from state income taxes. This comes as Kamala Harris, the Democrat presidential nominee at the top of the ticket in 2024, has copied a similar policy laid out by GOP nominee Donald Trump.  

The amendment, introduced in the state senate, would have exempted service industry workers for state taxes on tips. The Democratic majority rejected the proposal on a mostly party-line vote without discussion or debate, as reported by Fox News. 

Republican State Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, who introduced the measure, explained her disappointment in a press release: "It is deeply disappointing that the legislature chose not to consider a proposal that could have provided much-needed relief to California's workers." 

"With Californians facing one of the highest costs of living in the nation, our service and hospitality industry employees are particularly burdened by a tax system that leaves them struggling to make ends meet," said Ochoa Bogh. "They deserve better, and today's decision is a missed opportunity to support those who need it most." 

California Senate Republicans slammed Democratic lawmakers as "negligent" for refusing to take up the bill for a debate. The conservative lawmakers explained that both major political party candidates, former President Donald Trump, and Vice President Kamala Harris, stated support for federal tax legislation that would exempt income received on tips. Trump was the first to support this idea during a June campaign speech in Nevada, which VP Harris later copied during a campaign event in August. 

"The negligence involved in a refusal to even debate a policy issue of this magnitude cannot be overstated," said Republican Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones in a press release. "Legislative Democrats knew they were on the wrong side of this important issue, so they chose to sweep it under the rug rather than do the right thing for working Californians. The push to eliminate the federal tip tax has made its way to the campaign stage for both major parties this year, yet California Democrat politicians don't believe it to be even worthy to discuss at the state level for residents here." 

The Senate Republicans said the proposal would have allowed workers were rely heavily on tipped income to have more take-home pay.  

With the exception of State Sen. Nancy Skinner and Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, all nine of the state's Republican senators voted in favor of the amendment, while nearly all of the Democratic senators did not. Skinner and McGuire voted against it.