New year updates to minimum wages and taxes

BY ASHLEY HUANG

In January, minimum wages increased across the Bay Area and the Fair Tax Act, which has yet to be passed, was introduced. With these developments, household incomes may dramatically change in the new year, with a notable difference being that unemployed students and parents will be taxed.

After the enactment of Senate Bill Three on Jan. 1, local minimum wages increased. Furthermore, on Jan. 9, Rep. Earl L. Carter introduced the Fair Tax Act for Congress to vote on at a later date. The act would replace federal income tax with a 30% national consumption tax and abolish the Internal Revenue Service tax administrator and collector.

The regional Consumer Price Index measures the monthly changes in consumer prices each year and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics determines the new minimum wage. Based on the CPI, Cupertino’s minimum wage increased by 4.87%, from $16.40 in 2022 to $17.20 this year. Similarly, San Jose’s minimum wage increased by 4.94%, from $16.20 to $17.00. Increases in wages that are higher than minimum wage are up to employers to decide.

“For students earning more than minimum wage, there should be a caseby-case basis for who gets a raise,” said junior Saketh Penumudy, who works at Brighter Future Learning Center. “For example, students who work to help support family income should get a boost in wages even if they are earning more than minimum wage.”

National income tax, which would be implemented if the Fair Tax Act passes, would apply higher taxes to goods and services and eliminate taxes for household income. This idea was first introduced in July 1999 and has been re-proposed to Congress every two years since.

The bill introduced this year also provides households with a monthly check equal to 23% of the poverty threshold for their household size.

“An earlier version of the bill would increase the federal budget deficit by $10.6 trillion over ten years,” Rep. Anna Eshoo said. “In order to make up the lost revenue from abolishing existing federal taxes, the proposed sales tax would need to be 64% — more than twice the rate proposed in the Fair Tax Act.”

The potential update in income tax wages may impact student workers negatively and positively.

“As I’m earning barely over minimum wage, income tax has taken away a lot of money,” Penumudy said.

“It may not seem like a lot each time, but the amount they take away adds up by the end of the year.”

Opposers of the bill state that the rich may be subject to less taxes and the tax burden would be increased among households who aren’t earning as much money.

Moreover, everyone is subject to the national consumption tax, including people who do not earn income.

“Retired seniors would be particularly impacted because they have paid taxes on their incomes for their entire working lives and will have to pay significantly higher prices,” Eshoo said.

On the other hand, supporters of the bill argue that the amount of consumption is correlated with the amount of household income earned, and therefore, the tax burden would not change significantly for anyone. The bill’s intention is to allow workers to keep more of the money that they make and push forward the ideology of consuming less and saving more. However, since people without income would also need to pay national consumption tax if the bill is passed, opponents counter that it would increase the tax burden of 90% of taxpayers and benefit only the top 10% of households.

“When you work, you pay more attention to how income tax and wages can have huge impacts on the amount of money you actually bring home,” said sophomore Avani Khanvilkar, an employee at Saratoga Star Aquatics. With the change in minimum wage in the Bay Area and the possibility of income tax being replaced with national consumption tax, student workers and households face looming and drastic changes in their paychecks.

BY INAAYA YOUSUF

"What happens next?” is often the question lingering in viewers’ minds at the end of a movie. While best answered by viewers’ imagination, studios take it upon themselves to do so, corrupting the impact of the original film through sequels. Meant to be a chance to go back in time and dive back into a loved fictional world, sequels are instead usually a cash grab. Polluted by a lack of creativity in writing and underwhelming quality, they leave viewers dissatisfied, a phenomenon that affects even rough remakes and liveaction films.

People find comfort in familiarity, so when given a choice, viewers tend to choose to revisit old stories over new ones. Studios greenlight projects for their potential to turn a profit rather than their artistic merit, taking attention from original screenwriting. Remakes and adaptations also make up much of this money-making scheme. The “Uncharted” movie with Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, was criticized for its inability to capture the essence of the original games Critics complained about the deviation from source materials and its failed attempt to bring the stakes in the original games to the film. These factors combined led to Rotten Tomatoes critics rating the movie a low 41%. The film failed to create a fulfilling experience for viewers and demonstrates studios’ attempts to turn nostalgia into money.

“The idea is that [movie studios] have to make money, so the quality of the work ends up going down.” Drama teacher Larry Wenner said. “Few spin-offs are better than the original film or TV series.”

Another motivator for remakes is the reduced resource costs. World-building and character development are done for the sequel to build on, usually with a smaller budget. The problem with this, however, is it often leads to a disappointing product. An example of this is Disney. In 2022, they made many remakes, such as the live-action Pinocchio, while creating new films, like Turning Red. Pinocchio disappointed, with 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences and critics agreeing on its less-thanmediocre score. Pinnochio’s inability to delve into the original’s themes took away from the story and filled the pockets of Disney’s executives while capitalizing on the viewer's nostalgia. Turning Red, on the other hand, took viewers on a mystical adventure with relatable characters that spoke to audiences worldwide. The movie scored 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been nominated for multiple Oscars. Of Disney's 2022 releases, the live-action Pinocchio and Turning Red highlight the studio's duality; both relying on nostalgia and taking creative risks.

A sequel should bring a new aspect while staying true to the original story or exploring characters and themes. For instance, the release of “Top Gun Maverick,” considering the original film came out in 1986 and had no lto justify a sequel, was a shock to many. It pleasantly surprised viewers and is considered better than the original by many. From high critical acclaim to the $1.4 billion earned at the box office, Top Gun Maverick is proof that a sequel or any adaptation can come out well — if it can stand by itself and is well executed by studios.

“If a filmmaker has reason beyond just money to make a sequel or to revisit some story, then I don't see that as a problem.” senior Jonas Rindegard said.

The creation of sequels and remakes in Hollywood is a symptom of a larger problem: the lack of investment in original projects. Although new ideas are a financial risk to studios, as they cannot gauge whether viewers will enjoy the story as much as a sequel or remake, it is a risk worth taking. In the future, viewers can speak against Hollywood’s lazy filmmaking or its focus on watching independent films with creative storytelling.