Sept. 25, 2012 — In the next few weeks, thousands of County landowners will find a $150 bill in the mail from the state. The bill is actually an illegal tax to help pay for wildfire protection.
Legislators, citizens and taxpayers associations are speaking out against the illegal tax that will affect about 825,000 state residents. The fire prevention tax is meant to generate more than $85 million in revenue for the state to help pay for fire-prevention in State Areas of Responsibility (SRAs).
Aside from the fact that many residents who receive the bill already pay for fire protection, the new state fee is simply an unconstitutional tax. It’s a tax because many homeowners will not see a direct benefit from paying the bill.
The California Constitution requires two-thirds approval in both houses of the legislature for any new tax.
That never happened.
But the bill is on its way.
So what can we do? Many legislators, including U.S. Congressional candidate and former State Senator Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) want us to protest the tax. LaMalfa and other legislators have joined with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to oppose collection, seek refunds and ultimately overturn the law in the courts.
We share that view and encourage residents to protest. But we have to do it quickly. Protests must be filed within 30 days of paying the fee. (The fee is actually $115 if a taxpayer’s structure is already in a local fire district).
The 30-day window to protest begins on the date the bill was mailed, not the date you receive it.
To protest, visit firetaxprotest.org, sponsored by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and follow the procedures for protesting the tax and how to file for a refund. Look for the specific form that must be filed within the 30 days. Residents without Internet access may call their elected representatives’ office for help.
Once Calfire has received a petition for a refund, it has 60 days to review it and issue a written decision. The decision, which will be provided in writing, will explain whether the fee is valid, should be modified or eliminated.
The bottom line is the state is asking us to make up the difference for budget cuts made to Calfire. The governor’s argument is that we should help pay for services we receive.
Using that logic, the state could charge a fee for just about any service it wanted. What’s next; a fee for police protection?
The fire fee should be ruled unconstitutional in a court of law and be overturned. But until that happens, the best thing we can do is continue to fight it. It’s our right.
- Supervisors exercise option to end relationship with County Administrative Officer
- Lassen High wrestling hosts Purple and Gold Scrimmage
- Postal Service offers packaging tips
- Prepare for winter driving conditions
- County’s attorney responds to Stone’s complaint
- Doyle man charged with murder
- Remember When for Dec. 10, 2013
- Newspapers are a vital instrument of free speech
- Biznews for Dec. 10, 2013
- Obituaries for Dec. 10, 2013
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Add comment
By posting on Lassennews.com stories, you agree to the following:
• Comments will be civil. This means comments should be relevant and contain no abusive or profane language or personal attacks. This includes any sort of personal attack — including, but not limited to the people in our stories, the journalists who report these stories, or anyone else in this community. Comments may be deleted at the sole discretion of the Feather Publishing.
• Comments should address the subject matter of the article being commented on. This is not a chat room.
• Comments cannot include solicitation or advertising of products or services.
• Comments can not include any language or links to material that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, harmful, vulgar, threatening, tortuous, harassing, abusive, invasive of another’s privacy, hateful, racially or ethnically objectionable, or otherwise illegal.
• Commenters cannot post in a manner than purports or pretends to be someone else whether that is another reader on this site, a public figure, celebrity, elected official, etc
• Commenters cannot self-promote with links to your own blog or website.
• Commenters cannot post derogatory comments on stories in which a person has recently died. Feather Publishing has a no-tolerance policy regarding this.
The publisher of Lassennews.com retains the right to remove posts that we believe have violated any of these terms.
| Visit PlumasNews.com |
Comments
What would happen to this county's economy if the state closed it's prisons?