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California Democrats are insatiable when it comes to extracting taxes and siphoning money from the hard-working residents of the Golden State. The latest tax grab proposals are aimed at residents who use or buy guns, soda, tire changes, oil and gas, and water. Let’s review these tax-hiking bills one at a time:

 

Firearms Excise Tax – Assembly Bill 18, sponsored by Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-Greenbrae), would impose an excise tax on the sale of handguns and semi-automatic rifles. 

 

Tire Change Tax – Assembly Bill 755, introduced by Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), which would raise the tire change fee from $1.75 per tire to $3.25 per tire.

 

Water Tax – Senate Bill 200, sponsored by Bill Monning (D-Carmel), gives authority to all public water systems to “set, establish, and charge a schedule of rates and fees” that will increase household costs for Californians.  (A similar Democrat bill, Senate Bill 2805, died in the New Jersey state legislature last year).

 

Energy Tax – Senate Bill 246, sponsored by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont), which would impose a tax of 10 percent of the average price per barrel of oil or unit of gas. His reasoning? Wieckowski wants oil and gas companies to pay “for the privilege of severing oil or gas from the earth or water.”

 

Beverage Tax – Lastly, though a bill has not yet been introduced, Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) has already announced that he plans to revive his “beverage fee” bill this session. This would be his third attempt.

 

In the past, Bloom has argued for a 2-cents-per-fluid-ounce tax, but this may change in the new legislation. Regardless, soda taxes are bad policy. Like gas taxes, soda taxes are also regressive and disproportionately harm those who can least afford them, low-income consumers. Even Bernie 

 

Sanders agrees. He said: “The mechanism here is fairly regressive. And that is, it will be increasing taxes on low income and working people.”

Sanders also said: “Frankly, I am very surprised that Secretary Clinton would support this regressive tax after pledging not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000. This proposal clearly violates her pledge.”

 

These tax hike proposals are just another cash grab that will make California even less affordable.