California is in the midst of its annual budget stalemate. The super-majority vote required is all that stands between higher taxes and the taxpayer. Now we settle in to the war of attrition between tax and spend liberals and the few remaining fiscal watchdogs in the Legislature.
So while we play this waiting game, government engages in substantially more creativity at ways to raise taxes then it spends trying to find ways to live within its means. Local tax proposals range from taxing text messages to taxing air. It just never stops.
The City of Sacramento is concerned too many of us aren’t using our home phones. It wants to tax text messages as a means of raising revenue. As if teenagers aren’t expensive enough. Parents will get stuck with a bill for their electronic communications.
The L.A. County Metro Transportation Authority would impose a “Climate-Transit tax”. Another tax would be added to gasoline and the revenue spent on public transportation to combat roadway congestion and global warming.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District wants to tax carbon dioxide emitted from businesses. The District wants to bring the greater Bay area in compliance with the Kyoto Protocol.
The City of Torrance wants to tax wireless devices. The federal government ended excise tax on wireless devices. Torrance wants it to continue.
The voters in Alameda have voted to increase property taxes on commercial properties to raise local revenue.
Los Angeles wants to increase property taxes to pay for anti gang programs. Of course, they fail to mention they were caught employing members of the Mexican Mafia to run their “anti gang” programs.
Taxpayers can expect to see more of these kinds of proposals. I encourage voters to hold their local elected officials accountable when these kinds of ideas are the best they can do when it comes to balancing their local budgets.