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Oil tax supporters, detractors clash on campus
Suzanne Yada
Issue date: 10/13/09 Section: News
A group of conservative students protested a rally Monday that was designed to drum up support for an oil tax to fund higher education.
The students silently held up signs in front of Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico as he was speaking to about 400 people at the Cesar Chavez Memorial Arch.
The rally was in support for Assembly Bill 656, which would charge oil companies a 9.9 percent severance tax to help fund higher public education in California, according to the text of the bill.
About seven students, many of whom said they were with the College Republicans at SJSU, stormed the podium when Torrico took the stage and held up signs that read "Don't think you won't pay this tax" and "Tax cost 9,000 jobs."
Others with signs supporting the bill quickly rushed the stage to counter the protesters.
Aaron Neighbour, a junior civil engineering major, held up his anti-tax protest sign from the crowd, and he said the cost of the tax would trickle down to others.
"Companies don't pay taxes," he said. "People - consumers - pay taxes."
Andrae Macapinlac, vice president of Students for Quality Education, said the rally was a success.
He said he gathered 450 signatures in support of the oil tax.
"There will always be people on an ideological side that would oppose any new taxes," Macapinlac said. "There were only a few of them compared to the 450 people we've got."
The bill
State lawmakers slashed the California State University budget by $584 million, and SJSU is dealing with a $42 million shortfall, said President Jon Whitmore during an Aug. 20 news conference with student media.
The 9.9 percent oil severance tax was proposed to help fund the state's higher education, Torrico said.
Sixty percent of the tax would be given to the CSU system, 30 percent to the University of California system, and the remaining 10 percent would go to the state's community colleges, according to the text of the bill.
The students silently held up signs in front of Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico as he was speaking to about 400 people at the Cesar Chavez Memorial Arch.
The rally was in support for Assembly Bill 656, which would charge oil companies a 9.9 percent severance tax to help fund higher public education in California, according to the text of the bill.
About seven students, many of whom said they were with the College Republicans at SJSU, stormed the podium when Torrico took the stage and held up signs that read "Don't think you won't pay this tax" and "Tax cost 9,000 jobs."
Others with signs supporting the bill quickly rushed the stage to counter the protesters.
Aaron Neighbour, a junior civil engineering major, held up his anti-tax protest sign from the crowd, and he said the cost of the tax would trickle down to others.
"Companies don't pay taxes," he said. "People - consumers - pay taxes."
Andrae Macapinlac, vice president of Students for Quality Education, said the rally was a success.
He said he gathered 450 signatures in support of the oil tax.
"There will always be people on an ideological side that would oppose any new taxes," Macapinlac said. "There were only a few of them compared to the 450 people we've got."
The bill
State lawmakers slashed the California State University budget by $584 million, and SJSU is dealing with a $42 million shortfall, said President Jon Whitmore during an Aug. 20 news conference with student media.
The 9.9 percent oil severance tax was proposed to help fund the state's higher education, Torrico said.
Sixty percent of the tax would be given to the CSU system, 30 percent to the University of California system, and the remaining 10 percent would go to the state's community colleges, according to the text of the bill.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
petrushka Moroni
posted 10/13/09 @ 9:01 AM PST
That's your lead? The college republicans are the story? all five of them? nothing about the people who spoke, the actual bill itself? Pretty weak.
The 9,000 jobs bit is pure speculation. (Continued…)
Greg
posted 10/14/09 @ 9:54 PM PST
Taxes are already high enough in California. We have the highest sales tax, income tax, and gas taxe. We aren't underfunded, the money is currently going to the corrupt legislature and their union cronies. (Continued…)
neil signo
posted 10/18/09 @ 1:07 PM PST
Senator Yee & Assemblyman Hill;
It has been documented that those students under 21 years of age, with jobs are working harder than the other students in the University system. (Continued…)
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