Posted on 07/08/2019 10:30:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
On July 1, California hiked its gas tax to the highest rate in the country.
The gas tax, in particular, is one of the most regressive taxes. It hurts the poorest families in our country the most.
Tax increases in California shouldn’t shock anyone, but the craziest part of this plan is that the increase STILL won’t be enough to cover the repairs California needs for roads, bridges and mass transit. Officials are actually considering additional fees on top of the new tax!
That’s not how we operated in Florida when I was Governor, and that’s not how any state in our nation should operate.
What Governor Newsom (and Governors like Cuomo in New York and Pritzker in Illinois) don’t seem to understand is that you can cut taxes, regulations and debt to help create new jobs while simultaneously investing in infrastructure, the environment and education. I know it’s possible because we did it in Florida.
When I first ran for Governor in 2010, Florida was in bad shape. It was like a failing business. The state had lost 832,000 jobs in just four years. Home prices had dropped by almost half. Business investment and new home construction dried up while existing developments were scuttled and left half-built. And in response, Florida politicians had raised taxes, which only made it worse on families.
I am an outsider to politics and spent most of my career in business. When I ran for Governor in 2010, my goal was to turn Florida’s economy around. The naysayers said it wouldn’t work; they said a businessman can’t make government work. But, we did it.
We cut waste, lived within our means and focused on creating jobs. I cut taxes in Florida nearly 100 times, saving Florida families and businesses more than $10 billion while making huge investments in our state. Florida went from losing more than 800,000 jobs in the four years before I was Governor, to creating nearly 1.7 million private-sector jobs while I was in office. And I invested $85 billion to transform Florida’s transportation infrastructure without ever raising a tax or fee.
What Governors of these other high-tax states don’t seem to understand is that in America, states are competing with each other and states like New York, Connecticut, Illinois and, yes, California are losing. And they will keep losing to Florida because we know how to improve our state economy without putting a bigger burden on our hardworking families.
As much as I love to compete with other states (I send thank you notes to other Governors when they raise taxes!), I want every state in America to share in Florida’s success story. I want every American family to have every opportunity to succeed and get a job.
That’s why we have to continue growing the American economy, not the government economy.
And never WILL understand.
They’re all gonna implode. The only thing to do is get out of the way.
They are laughing all the way to the other states taxpyer banks. Infrastructure will be their savior, again.
Imagine how much better the economy would be if California Jersey New York, and Massachusetts cooperated
Thusly doth the healthy State eventually succumb.
He also barely won last year's U.S. Senate election against a worthless fossil.
Yup. We should all heed the lesson of 2008.
If one goes to the United States Congress with a sufficiently butt-puckering tale of impending economic doom and terror, they WILL get a bailout.
No matter how many people oppose it.
“Economic Growth”
The Los Angeles Basin is packed.
Cape Code is packed.
Eastern Massachusetts is nearly full.
New York City is packed.
Long Island is nearly full.
There comes a time when economic growth is pointless.
The Laffer Curve is a simplification.
In the short term tax revenue can be increased sharply. Many Californians and New Yorkers know that to be the case.
In the longer term, the Detroit effect takes place.
Which reminds me of a great mystery: CA leads the nation in economic growth. And that’s with the already largest economy in the nation.
“The repairs California needs for roads, bridges and mass transit”
are less than say what Pennsylvania and many other older and colder states need.
Not if expectations are rational, and property values drop (i.e, in the case of a sudden property tax hike).
“Which reminds me of a great mystery”
The Silicon Valley venture capital system is no mystery. No rivals need apply, it keeps key members of the major media well informed and makes them team players.
The Federal Reserve keeps interest rates low and America’s money headed towards Silicon Valley and Wall Street and Greenwich.
The Florida mall two miles away from me has spots for four anchors, two of which are vacant.
About half of the other space in the mall is vacant.
Politicians need to measure economic success by looking at more than tax revenue receipts.
New Jersey clearly shows the impact of really high property tax rates.
“Imagine how much better the economy would be if California Jersey New York, and Massachusetts cooperated”
Imagine the PPACA, which greatly increased the prices received by the drug companies in those states.
What made Florida boom was the amendment to the Florida Constitution that removed property taxation for low income homeowners over age 65.
“They’re all gonna implode. The only thing to do is get out of the way.”
The middle class sections just deteriorate slowly over time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.