Maybe We Overdid It on the Whole Tax Thing, Californians Tell Pollsters

Californians have shown a bit
of a propensity for taxing the shit out of themselves and each
other. Just a year and a half ago, voters in the Golden State went
to the polls and
approved a $6 billion tax hike with Proposition 30. This is a
state that enthusiastically made its way to the Revenue Room at the
House o’ Pain and then promptly forgot its safe word.

Well, mostly. Maybe Californians are having second thoughts.
While half of voters in the state call the tax system fair and
majorities want to tighten the squeeze on corporations and “the
wealthiest,” a record 60 percent say they themselves are paying too
much.

The results come in a wide-ranging
poll (PDF) conducted last month by the Public Policy Institute
of California. Asked, “Overall, how fair do you think our present
state and local tax system is—would you say it is very fair,
moderately fair, not too fair, or not at all fair?” 3 percent said
“very fair” and 47 percent answered “moderately fair.” The results
were consistent across income groups, with 53 percent of those
making over $80,000 agreeing with the 49 percent of Californians
earning under $40,000 that the tax system is just swell.

Of those polled, 51 percent also said corporations should pay
higher taxes and 63 percent called for raising the top income tax
rate on the state’s wealthiest residents.

But if Californians agree that the other guy should get it in
the neck, they’re all ready for a little mercy on their own behalf.
Fifty-six percent of those making less than $40,000 say they’re
paying more than they should, 59 percent of those making between
$40,000 and $80,000 agree, and 64 percent of those earning over
$80,000 chime in with a “ditto.”

Tax us more and harder, please. Whoah! But enough on me,
already.

Last month, the financial site WalletHub
published a state-by-state comparison of real estate tax, state
income tax, local income tax, vehicle property tax, vehicle sales
tax, sales and use tax, fuel tax, alcohol tax, food tax, and
telecom tax. California
comes just after New York as the most burdensome, tax-wise. It
also ranks as the second
worst state for overall freedom in Mercatus Center
rankings.

Scott Shackford
noted earlier today that all of that extra tax revenue is doing
California little good—its economy still staggers along, with
outstanding bills, such as $3 billion in required payments to the
state teacher pension fund, essentially glossed over.

C’mon Californians. If you think hard, you’ll rememember that
safe word. Maybe it’s “Jarvis.”