SV businesses are more concerned with the eroding infrastructure than protecting freeloaders, it seems.
Reinventing Silicon Valley
JOINT VENTURE: BOLSTERING PUBLIC FINANCES IS KEY PRIORITY
One controversial topic that Joint Venture members plan to tackle is bolstering public finances for local transportation, education, environmental, health and safety needs. As part of that effort, the group intends to create a statewide coalition to reform the state's tax structure. The idea is to ensure that more of the taxes raised by particular communities are spent in those communities.
Financing government services is of keen interest to local businesses. In a separate report issued Wednesday, officials with the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group said new sales and parcel taxes may be needed for such things as retraining teachers and improving the area's transportation system.
Those involved with the Joint Venture report said they weren't sure whether their initiatives would require higher taxes. But their report recommended broadening the state's tax base to make it less dependent on volatile sources of income, and making it easier to pass tax and bond measures.
in other words, more property taxes less income taxes
``Most businesses aren't going to blithely advocate higher taxes, but they understand you have to spend money to make money,'' T. Michael Nevens, a former director based in Silicon Valley for McKinsey, an international management consulting firm, told a group of Mercury News reporters and editors. He helped formulate the report, which was the result of a yearlong study by 60 local corporate executives, educators, political leaders and others.
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