Beer lovers, this $1.80 tax is for you

California consumers discard an estimated 19 billion of the bags each year, many of which wind up littered on the street. Davis says his proposal (AB 2829) would encourage consumers to use fewer bags -- or better yet, bring their own to stores -- and provide local governments with funds to clean up the litter. The proposal has the backing of several environmental groups.

"A person is going to think carefully before spending a quarter to get a bag," Davis said.

But Davis says he knows people are suffering financially and has proposed a property tax break for low-income seniors. There's a catch: The proposal (AB 2459) would require seniors to "work off" their taxes in county offices, doing such jobs as gardening, record filing or data entry.

Other bills target gas guzzlers. AB 2388 by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) would place a surcharge on vehicles based on their weight and the amount of carbon dioxide they emit. Assemblyman Joe Coto (D-San Jose) wants to collect new fees from drivers of luxury vehicles that get less than 15 miles per gallon. His bill is AB 2638.

The leader of the Assembly's Republicans, Mike Villines of Clovis, says the many tax bills "show how out of touch the [legislative] majority has become. . . . Working people are looking at these taxes and saying, 'Are you kidding me? You are going to add more costs to my daily life?' People want us to live within our means like they do."

Democrats retort that it is not they who are out of touch.

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) has expressed bewilderment that GOP lawmakers won't even talk about eliminating the mortgage deduction for vacation homes valued at more than $1 million -- a move Republicans say would discourage the wealthy from buying property in California.

And don't get Nunez started on the sales tax on yachts, which wealthy Californians have been able to avoid by docking their boats in Mexico for 90 days before bringing them home -- the result of what Nunez calls a "sloophole" that Republicans refuse to close.

Another bid the GOP has blocked, AB 1746, was made at the behest of prosecutors who were frustrated to learn that felons can claim tax breaks on criminal business operations, even after being convicted. The bill, an effort to eliminate the deductions, stalled on the Assembly floor.

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evan.halper@latimes.com

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Tax proposals

Democrats in the state Legislature have proposed an array of new taxes. Among them:

Sales tax on digital downloads; 8 cents on a typical iTunes song (AB 1956)

25 cents on every plastic shopping bag (AB 2829)

$1.80 on each six-pack of beer (bill number pending)

25% on pornography, strip shows and other adult entertainment (AB 2914)

Surcharges for gas guzzlers (AB 2388 and AB 2638)

Close "sloophole" available to yacht owners (ABX3 10, SBX3 8)

Eliminate tax break for criminals (AB 1746)

Source: Times reporting

For more information about bills in the California Legislature, go to www.leginfo.ca.gov