democrats in California, one of a handful of extremely liberal blue states that Hillary managed to win in November, are having trouble selling their newest taxes. Already one of the top three most highly taxed states in the union, both houses and its governor recently signed off on a huge fuel tax that has Californians fuming.
Controlled by liberal Democrats and overrun with illegal immigrants living in so-called sanctuary cities, California is burning through tax dollars like a nuclear laser. Bankrupt cities and languishing infrastructure notwithstanding, Democrats, who politically own that state lock, stock, and barrel, are apparently more concerned with replenishing bankrupt government pension plans and building railroads to nowhere than listening to the collective moan of overtaxed citizens.
Tax gives Republicans rare opportunity
This is exactly why Republicans in that state who rejected the massive $5.2-billion tax bill need to act. Whether or not one chooses to look at the tax as a transfer of payments to fund government pension plans and retro-payment for infrastructure overlooked for years by the state’s Politburo, drivers do not like the new 12-cents-per-gallon tax that takes effect in November. Independent truckers and companies with trucks on the road will pay more because Diesel fuel taxes will rise by 20 cents a gallon.
Democrat legislation bundled new taxes with fees
Democrats like to bundle taxes, and California is no exception. They slipped a new annual vehicle fee to be charged by the DMV into the legislation too.
The new tax, or fee as politicians prefer to call it, is based on a vehicle’s value and ranges from $25 to $175. Gov. Brown had little trouble pushing the bill through with a supermajority in both legislative houses.
As the same California Democrats who thought Hillary Clinton was a shoo-in last year try to scold voters into acceptance, a new statewide poll by Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies shows 58% of voters who responded do not support the gas taxes.
The legislation recently gave birth to a Republican-sponsored recall effort against state freshman Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) who supported the bill. Since the California Republican Party is helping pay to force a special election anyway, wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity for Republicans to call for a repeal of the entire Democratic Party mega tax?
