New Taxes Are Not The Answer to Budget Woes
It has been over a month since the constitutional deadline passed to approve a new budget and members of the Legislature have gone on vacation. Apparently, not many Californians believe lawmakers have earned this time off – a recent Field Poll shows only 27% regard their performance positively, while 57% have a negative view.
While state representatives have decided they would rather go to the beach than wrestle with the state budget crisis, California families are not having nearly as much fun. They are being slammed by increased costs for everything from food to gasoline. Many are struggling to hold onto their homes. There can be little doubt why three out of four Californians say we are headed in the wrong direction.
But things can get a lot worse if the majority in the Legislature get their way. These politicians want to increase the burden on California taxpayers by $9 billion, which averages out to $1,000 in new taxes for a family of four.
iTunes and Text Messaging? That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In retrospect, it seems absolutely deplorable – as new technologies continue to popularize and grow, improving the way we communicate, live and interact, the government has been deprived of its fair share. High-Speed Internet Service, Text Messages, iTunes Music and Video Downloads – yes, they all may seem like cutting-edge innovations that are helping bolster California’s economy by creating jobs and encouraging investment, but truly, all they’re doing is cheating the government out of valuable tax revenue.
For shame! Thank god that Progressive cities like Los Angeles and Sacramento, along with equally progressive legislators like Charles Calderon are there to put a stop to such an injustice and help the government get its fair share – after all, all those environmental impact reports aren’t going to pay for themselves.
But let’s be honest – taxing Music Downloads and Text Messages is a nice start, but if California is ever going to live up to its true tax potential, we’ll have to start getting more serious about taxing early and often. How long have iTunes and Text Messaging been around? We can’t afford to waste future tax revenue by sitting around waiting for the next big thing – it’s time to get proactive!
Here are some ideas for current and future innovations that we can tax immediately to make sure the government gets its fair share: