REPEAL THE QUARTER-CENT 'TEMPORARY' SALES TAX.

Byline: George Runner 

JUST as President George W. Bush signed into law across-the-board tax relief that will return $1.35 trillion to the American people, I am deeply disturbed that here in California, the liberals in the Sacramento Legislature are proposing a tax increase in this year's state budget.

In essence, they are proposing a tax on your federal tax cut. This is absurd.

The federal government has shown its ability to tighten its belt and provide some relief to taxpayers while California's budget balloons to an unprecedented $80 billion - accompanied with a proposed tax increase.

As one of only six legislators selected to serve on the Budget Conference Committee to hammer out this year's state budget, I have made it abundantly clear that I feel an increase in the sales tax is unjust.

At a time when California's hard-working families are being strapped with billion-dollar energy rate increases, we shouldn't also be applying more financial pressure on them in the form of a tax increase.

It is simply wrong and unfair.

In 1991, the quarter-cent sales tax was enacted when California was in a deep recession and needed to generate additional revenue for the state's General Fund. This $1.2 billion tax increase was promised to be temporary, and last year California met the necessary conditions to repeal it.

However, Gov. Gray Davis included the quarter-cent sales tax increase in his revised budget proposal. Many of my fellow budget conferees are also counting on this tax increase to be included in the final budget bill, which will be voted on by both houses of the Legislature later this month.

I am outraged that this issue is even being discussed.

This would be a tax increase in addition to the California Public Utilities Commission's (PUC) recent decision to raise electricity rates by billions of dollars.

So now, Californians are expected to reach into their pockets to pay for these increased costs of power and will be forced to reach even deeper every time they step into a store or a restaurant.

This especially puts the squeeze on working families throughout the rest of California who are already struggling to pay their higher energy costs.

Earlier in the session, I introduced Assembly Bill 390 to ensure that the quarter-cent sales tax be permanently reduced as promised. This $1.2 billion that consumers would save each year could pay for 150 million movie tickets at $8 a ticket, 80 million dinners at a restaurant charging $15 a dinner or 60,000 new cars at $20,000 a car.

Yet, my bill is being held by the same tax-and-spend lawmakers in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee who have joined the governor in plotting more ways to spend your hard-earned money.

This budget is already one for the record books. At $80 billion, it has increased by over $15 billion since 1999. This demonstrates how much government has grown in only the past two years.

Increasing the sales tax will allow government to grow even more.

The Democrats who control the Legislature like the idea of ``big government'' because they feel they know how to spend your money better than you do.

Unfortunately, I represent the voice of the minority who would like to see this money returned to you. Even if the Conference Committee finally agrees that a sales tax increase is indeed wrong, the even more difficult part is convincing the governor.

To truly convince the governor that the citizens of California do not want a tax increase, he needs to be told by the people he represents.

By writing letters, sending e-mails and making phone calls to the governor, you have the ability to let him understand it is not the will of the people to have a tax increase. Letters can be sent to the governor at the State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA 95814, or by e-mail to governor(at)governor.ca.gov.

I urge you to use this power and when you do, point to the absurdity of California's attempt to grow government at a time when the federal government is able to shrink government. At the same time, I will continue to do what I can through the conference committee and through the remainder of the budget process to also ensure your money remains in your pocket.