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N.Y. Times: Inside the Billionaires’ War Against California’s Proposed Wealth Tax

Jon Endean
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In the New York Times, Theodore Schleifer and Erin Griffith have a report, “Inside the Billionaires’ War Against California’s Proposed Wealth Tax.” From the article:

Every Tuesday for the last few months, two dozen of the world’s richest people or their advisers hop onto a conference call and plan for war.

The war is against a proposed tax, but not just any tax. It is against a “wealth tax” on California billionaires, one that Silicon Valley’s most affluent see as an existential threat that could usher in a new way of attacking them. So in confidential memos, WhatsApp and Signal chats and conference calls, they are banding together to battle back.

The calls are organized by Building a Better California, a nonprofit started this year to fight Proposition 40, the ballot measure that would impose a one-time 5 percent tax on billionaires if voters approve it next week. Each week, the nonprofit’s operatives brief donors or their advisers on polling, advertising and opposition research. Often, the calls include an ask: Would you consider giving a little more?

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About the Author

Jon Endean Avatar
Jon Endean
Jon Endean is an Assistant Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, where he teaches courses in taxation. His scholarship examines foundational principles of tax law and what they can reveal about the relationship between taxation and other areas of law. Before entering academia, Jon practiced tax law at Covington & Burling in New York City, and he is a graduate of Rice University and Yale Law School.
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