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By Jon Coupal
With the state government of California sitting on a budget surplus that exceeds $50 billion, Sacramento politicians can’t bring themselves to return a few dollars to middle-class taxpayers.
While the cost of consumer goods and services is rising rapidly, due mostly to feckless government policies, it is the cost of gasoline that truly sticks in the craw of average Californians. Conservatives in the Legislature, mostly Republicans, have accused the Democrats of intentionally running out the clock on providing gas tax relief before an automatic increase goes into effect on May 1st.
That accusation is well-founded.
Nearly a year ago, Republicans in the state Senate pushed for a “gas tax holiday,” including a full suspension on state gas tax collection for the current fiscal year.
The suspension could have easily been backfilled by the state’s overflowing general fund, which would protect transportation funding.
Later, they offered amendments formally requesting the suspension of the state gas tax and postponing the pending increase.
In the Assembly, who can forget the Democrats’ ambush of Assembly Bill 1638 by Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, another gas tax suspension proposal?
Again, by refusing to even hear the bill the ruling political class is revealed as wholly disconnected to the concerns of average citizens.
That’s too bad because a one year suspension of the gas tax would have reduced the cost of fuel by 51.1 cents per gallon, providing instant tax relief.
To read the entire column, please click here.
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