Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to temporarily raise the state sales tax as part of a plan to raise more money to solve California’s budget shortfall, which has now reached $11.2 billion. Schwarzenegger has called a special session of the Legislature to approve his action plan to get the state budget back on track, invigorate its economy and generate jobs for the unemployed. The Governor is proposing $4.5 billion in cuts and $4.4 billion in new revenues for the current-year budget. His proposal calls for a temporary increase in the state sales tax, from 5 percent to 6.5 percent. At the end of three years, the state sales tax would revert back to 5 percent. Additionally, Schwarzenegger called for revenue increases, including broadening the sales and use tax to include certain services, imposing an oil severance tax upon any oil producer that extracts oil from the earth or water in this state and increasing the alcohol excise tax by five cents a drink.