tax
Richard Winger at Ballot Access News uses a situation in Maine to make a great point about the many and often absurd reasons that petition signatures can be challenged around the country:
Voters in Oakland overwhelmingly approved the nation’s first tax on medical marijuana that is sold ad city cannabis clubs. The new tax rate will be $18 out of every $1,000 in sales at the clubs, generating nearly $300,000 in revenue for the city.
This weekend Paul Jacob spoke at the National Taxpayer Union’s National Taxpayers Conference about the power of the initiative and referendum (I&R) process.
Paul’s main comments focused on how regular grassroots activists can set the agenda and gain momentum on their issues by using I&R. He also makes the point that I&R has been a taxpayer’s best friend, as ballot measures have helped control government spending.
Watch a clip of Paul’s speech:
A development tax that Washington County voters overwhelmingly approved in November might fall victim — temporarily — to the economic downturn.
The tax would pay for road and transit improvements around the county, aiming to relieve congestion caused by new development. Currently developers pay a traffic-impact fee that covers 14percent of those costs, while the public covers the rest. Under the new transportation-development tax, developers would pay roughly 28percent of future costs.
A union that is sponsoring two Las Vegas ballot measures has asked the state Supreme Court to hear its case to place the measures on the June ballot. The city council had refused to put the measures on the ballot, claiming they were unconstitutional. A county judge agreed with the council. The measures aim to require a vote on taxpayer funded development projects and block a proposed city hall project.
Fargo, ND city commissioners approved a ballot measure that would raise the city’s sales tax by a half-cent to 7%. The money would go to flood protection measures. Citizens will vote on the measure in a June 30 special election.
The Minnesota House on Saturday got behind $1.5 billion in assorted tax increases affecting smokers, drinkers, homeowners, high-end income earners and others. The vote was 68-65, with all Republicans and some Democrats in opposition.
The weekend debate occurred a day after the state Senate narrowly voted to boost taxes by $2.2 billion, mainly through the income tax. Both House and Senate bills are running headlong into Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s promise to veto any tax increase that reaches him.
When Californians vote in the May 19 special election, the state budget will hang in the balance.
That fragile compromise Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger crafted with Democratic lawmakers and a handful of legislators from his own party a couple of months ago didn’t erase all the $40 billion of red ink that threatened to shut down Sacramento.
California lawmakers are warning that the state’s budget deficit could exceed $15billion if several budget related ballot measures fail at an upcoming special election. Six measures that include tax increases and spending cuts are going before voters in a May 19 special election.
A legislative committee has been hearing testimony today on a citizen initiative seeking to cut Maine’s car excise tax in half. The excise tax, which varies depending on the age and the value of a car, is collected locally. The proposal also calls for eliminating the 5 percent sales tax and the first three years of car excise taxes on certain fuel-efficient vehicles.
Agusta County residents are petition the Board of Supervisors to relieve new tax assesments, some of which have gone up as much as 400 percent. Petition organizers say that if county supervisors ignore their petition they will take the matter to court.
The Missouri Legislature is considering rewriting parts of a voter-approved ballot measure on casinos in order to distribute money generated for public education. The ballot measure, passed by voters last year, created new taxes on casinos but did not provide a proper method to distribute those tax dollars to Missouri schools. Lawmakers have come up with varying proposals on what to do with the money.
Governor Schwarzenegger kicked off his campaign for a package of ballot measures he claims are necessary to fix the state’s budget woes. The measures, which will appear on a special May 19th ballot, will both cap spending and increase taxes.
Tim Eyman, an activist in Washington State, just sent out an email announcing his legal victory of Initiative 960, requiring the state legislature to have a 2/3 majority vote in order to increase taxes. The Supreme Court unanimously rejected challenges to I-960.
Many times initiatives which have passed at the ballot box are challenged in the court system. In this case, Mr. Eyman won the challenge and the taxpayer protection initiative will stand. He writes:
OLYMPIA, Wash. — As lawmakers chop their way out of an estimated $8 billion budget deficit, voices in the Democratic majority’s political base are crying out for higher taxes to save favorite state services.
So where’s the money? One place to look is the so-called “shopping list,” a state Revenue Department compilation of possible sources of additional money for the state.