State Sen. Scott Wilk recently posted a link on Facebook to a Sacramento Bee article. The headline was, “Soda, water, guns and tires: They could all be taxed if California Democrats have their way.”
Sen. Wilk’s response? “It is time to stop taxing the middle class to solve every problem. Californians already pay more in taxes than people in any other state.”
Amen.
Here’s more on those new taxes being proposed:
Soda tax (you knew it was coming!)
Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, plans to introduce a bill creating a “beverage fee,” around 2 cents per fluid ounce of so-called sugary drinks. What’s next? Cupcakes, Froot Loops, french fries? Let Assemblyman Bloom know your thoughts at 916-319-2050.
Tire change “fee”
Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, thinks you should pay more to get a tire changed. You already pay $1.75 per tire. (Did you know that?) Assembly Bill 755 would boost that fee to $3.25. Where would this money go, exactly? Into the state’s “Stormwater Permit Compliance Fund” which would be created by Holden’s bill. Why? Something about zinc causing pollution. Share your opinion at 916-319-2041.
Firearms excise tax
Sponsored by Marc Levine, D-Greenbrae, Assembly Bill 18 reads in part, “Although California has the toughest gun laws in the nation, more effort is necessary to curtail gun violence.” He thinks an excise tax on handguns and semiautomatic rifles will help. How, exactly? Tell him “no way” at 916-319-2010.
Water tax
Especially egregious is Senate Bill 200, a tax on water. Really! The creator of this bill, Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, says we need a “Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund.” Has a nice ring to it, yes?
Gov. Gavin Newsom agrees with the bill’s premise, which reads that nearly a million people “in small disadvantaged communities may be exposed to unsafe drinking water in their homes and schools, which impacts human health, household costs, and community economic development.”
“MAY be exposed”?
Yes, Sacramento just wants more money. Call Sen. Monning at 916-651-4017 and Gov. Newsom at 916-445-2841.
Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California (reformcalifornia.org), is launching a campaign to block this Water Tax, urging all Californians to join the effort. Santa Clarita’s Assembly Member, Democrat Christy Smith, is on DeMaio’s official “hit list.” She’s wavering on the tax, and needs to hear from you. Call Smith at 661-286-1565 or 916-319-2038. Tell her NO tax on water!
Oil and gas severance tax
Next is a tax on oil and gas, as if we don’t have enough already.
Sen. Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, feels the rich and greedy corporations should pay “for the privilege of severing oil or gas from the earth or water.” In Senate Bill 246 he proposes a new tax of 10 percent per barrel of oil or unit of gas. That money would go directly into California’s general fund, because, waaahhh, the state is broke!
If it passes, we, the people, will have to pay for this because the costs will simply be passed along to us! Give him a piece of your mind at 916-651-4010.
Elimination of Proposition 13
Sen. Wieckowski is also in favor of eliminating Proposition 13, which would result in your property taxes skyrocketing. How high would they go, you ask?
Find out at www.GuessingGame.org. Simply type in the market value of your home (Zillow.com will help you take a quick stab at that). The Guessing Game calculator will display your new inflated property tax rate if Proposition 13 were to be repealed.
I played the game, entering $675,000 as our home’s value. The new tax rate? A whopping $18,000 a year, more than triple what we currently pay! Our tax has been held in check by Prop. 13, but even so, the amount we pay keeps increasing. It’s gone up 20 percent over the past 10 years. During that same time, the consumer price index rose only 16.7 percent.
If you weren’t of voting age when Prop. 13 passed back in 1978, you probably don’t realize the significance this measure has had on your life and that of your parents and grandparents. The Democrat-majority Legislature in Sacramento is counting on your disinterest or lack of information. Do you own a house? Do you rent? If so, you will get a huge rent increase if Prop. 13 is abolished.
Find out more at the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, www.hjta.org, which spearheaded the original effort to keep California property taxes affordable. Read up, join HJTA, and protect yourself from what some consider the worst form of legalized theft!
Patricia Suzanne is a professional writer, retired small business owner, and conservative Republican activist. She lives in a modest Newhall home, where the money required for annual property taxes could pay a full year’s rent on a two-bedroom house in Arkansas.
