GOP opposes tax hikes for UI debt

(The Center Square) – In the days after California Senate Republicans signed a resolution opposing raising taxes on businesses to pay off more than $20 billion of COVID-era unemployment insurance debt, Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, spoke out about the state’s outstanding debt. “There have been a couple of budget cycles where the governor budgeted maybe a few hundred million dollars for that debt,” Niello, who was one of the resolution’s co-authors, said. “That doesn’t amount to a drop in the bucket. So that creates a huge burden on businesses, frankly, on smaller businesses." Since that debt grows with every year that passes, Niello said, the debt ends up costing the state’s businesses and their employees more and more money. “That debt has got to be paid,” Niello said. “California is the only state in the union that took on this debt during the pandemic shutdown and didn’t pay it back. We probably have to get creative because it’s such