Today we feature a guest commentary from Lew Uhler, President of the National Tax Limitation Committee:

REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS ARE CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS’ FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
By Lewis K. Uhler, President, National Tax Limitation Committee

All California taxpayers owe a debt of gratitude to the Republic legislators who are standing resolutely against tax increases.  Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines typifies the Republican attitude and commitment in his recent comment:  “Consistently we’re listening to the Democrat leadership and, frankly, the governor, talk about raising taxes.  And I’m just tired of hearing it.  We’re not going to do it.”

What should be infuriating to all taxpayers is to hear the radio ads by public employee unions pummeling Republican legislators about the budget and urging that listeners call specific legislators.  We taxpayers are actually making these ads possible because union dues are automatically deducted from the salaries we pay our public servants.  A large part of those dues are diverted to political purposes by the unions and wind up advancing causes and candidates opposed by many of the employees from whom the dues are exacted.  Despite the injustice of this outrageous system, Republican legislators have stood their ground on taxpayers’ behalf.

The liberal big spenders who control the Legislature (thank goodness for the two-thirds vote requirement to pass a budget) are privy to the same tax-and-spend information available to Republicans and taxpayers generally, but they refuse to change their profligate ways.  Their policies have led to California becoming one of the states least friendly to taxpayers:

• The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) recently ranked California 41st in terms of taxes, spending and business friendliness.
• The Tax Foundation, Inc., ranked California 47th on its recently published State Business Tax Climate, with California’s personal income structure ranking dead last in the Nation.

Despite these rankings – and the tax-burden realities giving rise to them – legislative Democrats have proposed further increases in personal and corporate income taxes.  They just don’t get it.  We should be thankful legislative Republicans do – and are standing tall for California businesses, jobs and taxpayers.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.