Proposition 30 is Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative which is proposing a .25 percent increase in state sale’s tax to fund California K-14 schools. There is also an increase in income tax for people making over $250,000 per year and couples making over $500,000 a year.

The higher sales tax rate would be in effect for four years beginning on January 1, 2013 and end in 2016.

Income taxes, if the initiative passes, will be increased according to income. If a single filer’s taxable income is within the range of $250,000 to $300,000 the tax would be increased by one full percent. Given that the current rate for the above range is 9.3 percent, the total would become 10.3 percent.

Joint filers earning $500,000 to $600,000 will experience the same increase. Single filers earning $300,000 t0 $500,000 will experience a two percent increase making their total 11.3 percent and joint filers earning $600,000 to $1,000,000 will experience the increase.

Single filers earning $500,000 or more will experience a three percent increase, bringing their total to 12.3 percent while joint filers earning over $1,000,000 will take on that same increase.

Eighty-nine percent of the revenue from this tax increase will go to K-12 schools. Eleven percent of the revenue will be going to higher education such as the CSU, UC and community college systems. The passage of this initiative would stop the trigger cuts that colleges are facing if the initiative does not pass.

Supporters for proposition 30 include Gov. Jerry Brown, League of Women Voters of California, the California Democratic Party, the California Teachers Association, the California State Council of Service Employees, the California School Employees Association, the American Federation of Teachers and the California Federation of Teachers.

The opposition includes How Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s Jon Coupal, Los Angeles County Board of Education member, Dough Boyd, Small Business Action Committee’s Joel Fox, the California Republican Party, John Kabateck and Kenneth Payne, the president of the Sacramento Tax Payers Association.