Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Sues To Block Majority Budget Bill
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA), more than 40 state legislators opposed to higher taxes, and John Eastman, dean of Chapman University, have filed suit to block the implementation of new taxes approved by the Legislature without the constitutionally required two-thirds vote.
Proposition 13 — now Article 13A of the California Constitution — mandates that the imposition of new or increased state taxes receive a two-thirds vote from the members of each house of the Legislature. (The two-thirds vote to approve a state budget is a separate matter dating back to the 1930s.) This provision was placed in Proposition 13 by authors Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann to make sure that, as they were saving people’s homes by limiting annual property tax increases, state government was limited in its ability to increase other taxes that would deny taxpayers the savings they would achieve with the passage of the landmark initiative.
“This dishonest effort to raise taxes without a two-thirds vote is a dagger at the heart of Proposition 13 and every California taxpayer,” stated HJTA President Jon Coupal at a morning news conference on the steps of the Court of Appeal. “If taxpayers lose the protection of the two-thirds vote, there will be no limitation to the ability of the tax-and-spend lobby in Sacramento to take whatever they want from hard-working Californians.”
On December 18, the Senate and Assembly approved bills increasing the state sales tax, income tax, car tax and gasoline tax, all without a two-thirds vote, and are preparing to send them on to the governor for his approval.
Also joining the suit are the Americans for Prosperity, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, Flash Report Editor Jon Fleischman and KFI radio talk show hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou.
Thank you for taking up this cause. The politicians are completely out of touch and out of control. I understand that Mark Ridley-Thomas (now THERE’S a winner) wants to build a multi-million dollar television station in order to keep his ugly face on TV in the most flattering light possible – all this to be done at the public’s expense. DISGUSTING!!!
I own a small retail business. The sales tax already exceeds 8% and these dummies want to raise it even higher! I already lose customers who are smart enough to simply go online and buy from competitors outside of California. My competitors do not charge shipping, so it is really a no-brainer. Why pay the outrageous CA state sales tax if you don’t have to?
Let’s get rid of these sleazy politicians who REFUSE TO CUT SPENDING!
Roger (and I am really mad) in Toluca Lake