State Board of Equalization

Praise to Dan Weintraub and Glenn Bunting for enlightening the public as to the administration of the tax laws by the State Board of Equalization (“Votes for Tax Cuts Help (State Board of Equalization member Paul) Carpenter Contributors” and “Carpenter--a Taker of Risks Who Aims to Win,” Part I, Nov. 13-14). Their recitation of big money and favored treatment for special interests is something the public should know.

If the tax system favors the rich and the powerful and those who make cash contributions, what kind of treatment does the ordinary taxpayer receive? As to that taxpayer, the letter of the law is applied strictly and no favors conferred.

A tax system premised upon inequality would not long endure and, as your editorial (“Carpenter’s Folly,” Nov. 15) points out. The present administration of the tax provisions of the Constitution and the Revenue and Taxation Code make a strong case for the creation of a new tax agency in California. It is only a matter of time before public opinion compels such a change.

It is in the public interest that your readers, thanks to the skills of Weintraub and Bunting, are educated to the actual workings of the tax board.

WILLIAM M. BENNETT

Member

Board of Equalization

Sacramento