The presidents of Fresno State’s College Democrats and College Republicans debated the approval of Proposition 30 on Thursday in the Free Speech Area.

Junior political science major Sean Kiernan (Democrats) and senior economics and political science double-major Daniel Harrison (Republicans) engaged each other in discussions of whether or not the tax measure proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown should pass.

According to the official voter’s guide, the proposition — if passed — would increase the state sales tax by a quarter of a cent for four years and increase income taxes on the wealthy. The personal income tax on annual earnings over $250,000 would be in effect for seven years. The state sales tax is currently at 7.5 percent.

“If you’re for against government dependency and for personal responsibility, the worst thing that could happen is our university being cut a quarter-billion dollars. Voting against 30 is not against a tax increase; it’s for a way higher financial burden for students,” Kiernan said.

The California State University system is faced with the looming threat of a $250 million budget cut should Proposition 30 not pass. It would trigger a 5 percent increase in tuition — the equivalent of $150 more per semester — to offset costs.

Voters will determine the proposition’s passage on the Nov. 6 election.

“We’re cutting a quarter-billion dollars if it fails. That’s catastrophic for a university and students and our economy,” Kiernan said. “It’s not just extra dollars [students are] paying a semester. The problem is the cut itself.”

Criticism of Proposition 30 has arisen over whether or not the tax measure’s revenue would be exclusively used to help ease recent budget cuts in higher education as opposed to going to the state’s general fund.

“It will not benefit students past the 2012-2013 school year,” Harrison said. “This is a seven-year [income] tax increase for one year of educational benefits. And that just doesn’t make sense to me,” Harrison said.

Harrison said the proposition’s text lacks clarity.

In order to be a proposition worth voting in favor of, Proposition 30 would have to “say explicitly that the seven-year [income] tax revenues are going to go exclusively to seven years of educational benefits,” Harrison said. “Then I’d be more open to supporting it.”

Mario Macagba, a senior criminology major, said the proposition’s uncertainty and his perceived deception of where exactly the money from the tax measure would be allocated have led him to oppose Proposition 30’s.

“It’s being presented for education and education only. In reality it’s for education — and balancing the [state] budget. And that’s unacceptable,” Macagba said. “It is a deceiving proposition. I was definitely going to vote ‘yes,’ until I read the fine print.”

The club presidents continued exchanges for about 35 minutes and then proceeded to answer questions from the audience. More than 80 students and faculty members were present at one point.

Thursday’s debate was the first between the two clubs in recent years. The College Democrats and Republicans are open to scheduling more debates in the future, Kiernan said.

“Most other College Democrats and Republicans on other campuses already do this, so why aren’t we,” Kiernan said. “I think it’s a piece of the university that’s missing.”

Marc Serrano, a natural science major, thought the debate was a necessary component for informing students.

“I think it’s a good thing. It’s a conversation that needs to be talked about,” Serrano said.

“Daniel [Harrison] made some pretty good points. But I don’t expect the majority of the people on campus to agree with Daniel because it’s not popular,” he said. “People want to hear that they’re going to get more free stuff.”

The initiative’s passage will also affect the financial future of the University of California system and California Community Colleges.

According to the Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student newspaper, UC campuses also face a $250 million budget cut and a 20.3 percent increase in tuition to help offset costs.

Student aid for community college students has decreased during the recession and course offerings have been reduced, according to the Associated Press.

Community colleges face a $338 million budget cut if Proposition 30 does not pass. It will add to the $800 million cut from the budget since 2008-09, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Gov. Brown addressed students at Sacramento Community College about Proposition 30 on Thursday with the attempt to persuade them that its tax increases are necessary to stabilize funding for higher education, the Associated Press reported.

For students like Daniel Clark, a junior business major, the problem at hand lies with students being aware and informed to a well-enough degree.

“The fact is: short-term, this needs to pass. Long-term, there needs to be reform,” Clark said. “In order for that to happen, the students need to be engaged and be involved. We can’t be apathetic come election day. We need to be heard.

“That’s why we keep getting the shaft time and time again in the budget cuts. You have senior citizens and other interest groups being heard loud and clear in Sacramento. Students aren’t.”