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Tax Threats Loom Large on Golden State Horizon - Again

From Patrick Gleason on Friday, March 13, 2009 4:08 PM
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They're baaaack - calls for tax hikes in California that is.  Last month all California Democrats and 6 Republicans passed a budget that raised taxes on Golden State taxpayers by approximately $70 billion.

But now it seems, according the legislature's budget analyst, Mac Taylor, that the state is still going to out spend its means by $8 billion - shocker.

Taylor was quoted in today's Sacramento Bee saying the following:

"Even in the few weeks since the budget was signed, there have been a series of negative developments. Our updated revenue forecast projects that revenues will fall short of the assumptions in the budget package by $8 billion. Consequently, the Legislature and governor will need to adopt billions of dollars in additional solutions in the coming months to bring the 2009-10 budget back into balance."

California legislators don't seem to comprehend one of the few things that economists of all political stripes agree on - raising taxes during a recession is disastrous policy.  Furthermore, the deleterious effect caused by doing so is exacerbated by the fact that the state had the highest tax rates even before the increases signed into law last month (click here for ATR's commentary in the Sacramento Bee on that agreement).

As ill-advised as it may be - in terms of both policy and politics - smart money is on California Democrats coming back to demand more tax increases. The stage may finally be set for a serious taxpayer revolt in the Golden State.

Permalink | Email | Print | Tags: TAXES, BUDGET, California

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Comments

Interesting, maybe California's demos should read the book out called The End of Prosperity. If you raise taxes revenue goes down. People avoid or as is happening in California move out. A net outflow of about 165,00 people left CA last year and more this year and most of those were not poor people. Raising taxes, out of control spending, and generous welfare are causing CA to go bankrupt. Keep spending.
>> Frank Johnson Wednesday, March 25, 2009 2:15 PM

The State Government needs to learn how to keep it's mits out of the cookie jar. The idea to turn a recession around is to put money in the peoples pockets so they can spend it. This will bring business back up. Remember FDR and the New Deal. Bless us all and hang on to your shorts, here it comes again !
>> Larry Tuesday, March 31, 2009 10:04 AM

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