California's Top 1% Pays Almost Half of the State's Income Tax. Is That a Problem?

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Michael Krasny

Sep 26, 2018 at

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A customer purchases the new iPhone X at an Apple Store on November 3, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo: Justin Sullivan)

California collected almost $1 billion in personal income tax revenue from Palo Alto’s 94301 zip code in 2016. That was the most of any zip code in the state, according to a new LA Times analysis, which found that California’s top 1 percent of filers paid nearly 46 percent of income tax for that same year. Income tax revenue constitutes more than two-thirds of California’s general fund, which pays for schools, prisons and a range of health and social programs. We’ll talk about what reliance on income tax means for California’s fiscal stability.

Guests:

Melanie Mason, reporter covering state government and politics, Los Angeles Times

Chris Hoene, executive director, California Budget and Policy Center

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