Gov. Jerry Brown released an Internet ad the other day, asking voters to embrace his multibillion-dollar tax increase.

But the word “tax” is nowhere to be found. The closest Brown or other speakers in the tightly scripted ad come to the T-word is “new revenues.” Mostly, it touts Brown’s efforts to cut state spending and declares – wrongly – that the state’s credit rating has improved.

“We’ve made progress, but we still have very serious budget problems in California,” Brown says in the ad. “We simply have to take a stand against further budget cuts for schools or for our public safety. To do that, we’re going to the people.”

Opponents of Proposition 30, which would raise sales taxes slightly on everyone, and income taxes sharply on high-income Californians, don’t shy away from “tax.”

via Dan Walters: Jerry Brown may be the issue in California’s tax initiative duel.