Assemblywomen Carole Migden and Dion Aroner Receive "Enemy of the Taxpayer" Award

WASHINGTON- Today, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) announced that its Enemies of the Taxpayer for June 2000 are California Assemblywomen Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) and Dion Aroner (D-Berkeley).

Their efforts to impose an electronic sales tax-in violation of the spirit of the recent moratorium banning any new taxes on the Internet-have won them this dubious distinction.  In spite of the fact that California enjoys a healthy budget surplus, these legislators seem to think that people should pay more taxes and that the high tech sector should be punished.

"They act as if their spending priorities are more important than job creation and allowing electronic commerce to flourish and grow," said Damon B. Ansell vice president of policy at ATR.  "They should spend less time worrying about filling the state treasury with the people's money and more time working to bring relief to what obviously is an over-taxed state," Ansell added.

"If these members were really interested in creating a level playing field they would simply eliminate or reduce taxes on brick and mortar companies," said Grover Norquist, president of ATR.  "The state has a huge budget surplus, the coffers are practically bursting with excess taxpayer revenue.  So what do these Assemblywomen want to do?  Increase taxes, of course!  Hopefully, Gov. Grey Davis will veto this nonsense," concluded Norquist.