The Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act, would give voters final approval on future taxes and fees imposed by state and local governments. The measure has already qualified for the November 2024 ballot.
However, Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats want the California Supreme Court to pull the initiative from the ballot before voters can vote on it.
Unsurprisingly, polls found a majority of Californian voters actually liked the measure, with many saying that the Taxpayer Protection Act would do as the name of the act said and would give them more say in what taxes are moved forward, the Globe reported.
“The Taxpayer Protection Act was written to restore a series of voter-approved ballot measures that gave taxpayers, not politicians, more say over when and how new tax revenue is raised,” explained HJTA President Jon Coupal. “Over the past decade, the California courts have created massive loopholes and confusion in long-established tax law and policy. The Taxpayer Protection Act closes those loopholes and provides new safeguards to increase accountability and transparency over how politicians spend our tax dollars.”
According to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association the measure would amend the state constitution do the following if passed:
- Require all new taxes passed by the Legislature to be approved by voters
- Restore two-thirds voter approval for all new local special tax increases
- Clearly define what is a tax or fee
- Require truthful descriptions of new tax proposals
- Hold politicians accountable by requiring them to clearly identify how revenue will be spent before any tax or fee is enacted
- New taxes and fees imposed starting in 2022 unless approved by voters will be canceled within a year of the act going into effect
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