Today the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is launching a new website focused on the state budget crisis. Their site launch comes at a key time as Democrats in the State Capitol seem intent, once again, to penalize California taxpayers for the state’s budget shortfall. Below is information on HJTA’s site launch!
BUDGETFIGHT.COM LAUNCHES ON DAY OF BUDGET VOTE
New Web site highlights tax increases and accounting shenanigans in latest proposal
Sacramento, CA — Today, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) released a new website BudgetFight.com to keep California taxpayers and the Media apprised of the higher taxes and fake revenue gimmicks that appear to be coming out of the Sacramento budget process. The organization announced the website as it became clear that an impending budget vote this week will not have the spending reforms that voters demanded as a part of the May 19 Special Election.
“Voters made it resoundingly clear last month that they wanted this Legislature to solve this budget mess once and for all,” said Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “The people of California are demanding that this budget be balanced with $24 billion worth of real solutions – not with taxes and other budgetary shell games that simply ensure we’ll be doing this all again in six months. Our new website will directly communicate this message to frustrated taxpayers as time runs out to solve this problem.”
Specifically, BudgetFight.com will highlight three major objections with the proposal offered by Legislative Democrats, all of which merit Governor Schwarzenegger’s veto.
- $2 billion in new taxes: This includes an oil severance tax, $1.50 cigarette tax, a $15 VLF tax to fund state parks, and additional taxes against business. With over two million Californians out of work, and the state already carrying the highest income, sales, and car taxes in the nation, it is outrageous to further burden the California taxpayer.
- $5 billion in various revenue enhancements and accelerators: These include shifting the salaries of state employees forward one day in June of 2010 to ensure they are paid in a new fiscal year, establishes a 3% withholding of payments for independent contractors, as well as increasing personal income tax withholding.
- Lack of a stable reserve: The budget reserve should be far closer to the Governor’s target of $4.5 billion. This is especially important as monthly revenue numbers continue to lag estimates by hundreds of millions—if not billions—of dollars, and because California’s economy will not make a substantial recovery in 2009. Unless California wants to deal with budget problems in perpetuity over the next year, a stable reserve is crucial even if it means further cuts.
The new Web site is http://www.BudgetFight.com and is updated several times throughout the day.