Enough is enough: Vote yes on Proposition 6 and say no to more gas taxes

In December 1773 a group of colonists gathered at Griffins Wharf in the Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of British tea into the water. They were protesting the latest taxation without representation that the British Parliament had imposed on them.

Today voters in California prepare to decide the fate of Proposition 6, a measure that would repeal the 12 cents per gallon additional tax added to gas purchases, as well as more tax on diesel and a hefty hike in car registration fees. Those costs came last year under Senate Bill 1 approved by the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown.

“Additional” is just that — more taxes. Californians already have the second-highest fuel taxes in the nation. To illustrate, take a gallon of regular gas costing $3.60. Of that, 74 cents is due to taxes — 18 cents is federal, the rest is state and local.

Nearly 1 million Californians were evidently fed up enough with state lawmakers’ latest scheme that they qualified Proposition 6 for the ballot being voted on Tuesday. Like the colonists, the petition signers want to get rid of a tax they did not get to have a say on. The Bee joins them in recommending a yes vote on Proposition 6.

The majority of major California newspapers have editorialized that the tax is needed to address the state’s $130 billion backlog of road work. That maintenance and repair list is indeed real. In the central and southern San Joaquin Valley, Caltrans has identified $500 million in necessary road projects to be done.

But several other facts must be considered as well:

▪ California’s economy is so strong the state would rank as the fifth largest in the world. And the budget Brown signed in April was $200 billion. So how is it possible state leaders cannot find money for roads in a budget of such staggering size and an economy that is one of the world’s best?

▪ According to Kiplinger’s latest report on tax burdens on Americans, Californians are among the most-taxed citizens in the United States when sales and property taxes are added to fuel taxes. California made Kiplinger’s top 10 least tax-friendly states list.

Looked at that way, the tax load on central San Joaquin Valley families is high, and many of them are among the poorest residents of the state. State Sen. Andy Vidak, a Republican from Hanford who represents Kings and parts of Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties, makes this point: “I represent the poorest district in California — maybe the whole U.S. It (Proposition 6) adds between $650 and $900 to my residents’ pockets. That’s a big chunk to someone making $20,000 to $30,000 a year.” For that reason, Vidak supports Proposition 6.

The two sides over Proposition 6 give differing figures for what the annual SB 1 cost is on a taxpayer — $780 a year (supporters) or $120 annually (opponents). Detractors of the proposition also point out that the expense of vehicle repairs must be factored in when drivers continue to travel on roadways marked with potholes.

Why are the roads in such bad shape? Those who oppose Proposition 6 say it is because motorists have not been paying enough in taxes to keep up. They also cite the increasing use of electric vehicles, which pay nothing in fuel taxes yet drive on the streets and highways.

There is another answer, however: Lawmakers’ choices. The state Assembly, Senate and governor make decisions with the people’s money. If roads were enough of a priority, lawmakers would get them fixed.

Somehow lawmakers this year found a way to allocate $100 million to a new museum in West Sacramento. They also will put $90 million toward “outreach” to residents in advance of the 2020 Census. Those are probably worthwhile endeavors, yet those are just two of probably hundreds of examples of questionable spending one could find in the massive budget.

Lawmakers have had decades to deal with roads. But they like spending on pet projects — it makes them popular so they can win re-election, and roads are not sexy.

Most recently, Brown and the Legislature decided to put $16 billion into the so-called “rainy day fund” meant to cover state expenses when the next recession hits. They could have just as easily allocated some of that money back to roads. And why does the reserve fund exist? In large part because the state is too reliant on income taxes and capital gains. That’s because the lawmakers won’t do the hard work of reworking the state’s tax system to generate more stable revenues.

Rather than come to drivers with their hands out for more, legislators and the governor need to look at the budget. They have $200 billion. Figure it out and be leaders. That is what they get elected to do.

Vote yes on Proposition 6. Hopefully it will be California’s Boston Tea Party moment.