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| GOP Liar Bob Huff |
Five GOP State Senators back $2 billion tax increase
- What is the point of a Republican Party when they vote to fuck over the people with higher taxes? The GOP should just abolish itself.
With a Democratic supermajority, Republican votes no longer are needed to increase taxes in the California Senate. Yet in a strange development, five GOP senators backed a tax increase anyway reports Cal Watchdog.
SB 11 is a $2.3 billion tax “extension” co-authored by a Democratic state senator, Fran Pavley of Calabasas; and by a Republican state senator, Anthony Cannella of Ceres. It passed the full Senate, 32-5, with two not voting and one vacancy.
Of the votes, 27 were from Democrats, or 67.5 percent, which was above the two-thirds supermajority threshold in the 40-seat Senate to raise taxes.
Yet in addition to Cannella, Republicans voting for it were Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff of Brea and Sens. Bill Emmerson of Redlands, Jean Fuller of Bakersfield and Mimi Walters of Irvine.
Although Cannella did not, the latter four all signed the Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a solemn promise never to raise taxes.
Total: Out of the Senate Republican Caucus’ small membership of 11, five voted for SB 11.
The Senate Republican Caucus’ own analysis identified the bill as “the continuation of billions of dollars of vehicle registration fees and tire taxes for eight years.” Yet not a single Senator, Republican or Democrat, spoke against the bill.
None of the Republican senators who signed the anti-tax pledge responded to CalWatchdog.com’s request for comment on their tax flip-flop. A spokesman for Huff referred comment to a YouTube video (provided below), in which Huff referenced his vote.
“What we did this week was we extended fees for smog abatement, registrations, tire purchases,” Huff said in a 40-second explanation of his tax extension vote. “I wouldn’t normally do that. But the bill was tied to easing regulations, burdens imposed on gas stations, truckers, ag equipment. And so it was one of those situations where you were taking a bad situation and making it better. ”
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| GOP Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Republican legislators backed Arnold's bills to increase taxes on the people. Looks like nothing has changed. |
GOP analysis: Tax extension is “hefty price to pay”
Huff’s argument that industry incentives are worth a multi-billion-dollar tax increase is disputed by his own caucus. An internal Senate Republican Caucus bill analysis obtained by CalWatchdog.com found:
“The continuation of billions of dollars of vehicle registration fees and tire taxes for eight years is a hefty price to pay. This bill would result in fee extensions of $8 in smog abatement, $18 for vehicle registrations, $10 on boat registrations, and $0.75 per tire on consumers annually until the year 2024.
The analysis included an all-caps warning that the bill imposed “VERY MAJOR STATE COSTS AND REVENUE INCREASES.” And it quoted this analysis from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association:
“SB 11 has been keyed as a two-thirds vote tax increase. The cumulative impact of these exactions will result in a $2.3 billion tax extension.”
GOP Caucus: Not a tax increase
Bill Bird, a spokesman for Huff, denied the bill is a tax increase. “The pledge states the legislator will not vote to RAISE taxes. He didn’t,” Bird said of Huff’s vote.
Patrick Gleason, the director of state affairs at Americans for Tax Reform, which organizes the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” said his group considers a tax extension a violation of the pledge that Huff, Emmerson, Fuller and Walters signed.
“Legislation that would extend a tax scheduled to sunset is a tax increase,” Gleason said in an email.
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association adds that Republican legislators could face a backlash for breaking their promise to their constituents.
“We’re not sure legislators fully grasp how this vote will be perceived by all the drivers — most of whom are voters — in their districts,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “The backlash will be severe.”
For the full article go to Cal Watchdog.com
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