FOUNDATION REPORT

ONLINE TAXPAYER CONFERENCE DRAWS A CROWD

Education is part of the mission of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation, and on March 7, we held a taxpayer conference online for Members, supporters and the general public. More than 1,300 people joined the live webinar or watched the recording.

HJTA President Jon Coupal shared some good news for taxpayers: The Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act has qualified for the November 2024 ballot. This measure would force the state government to submit any new statewide taxes to the voters for approval. It would also close loopholes that the courts have opened in Proposition 13. The initiative would increase transparency and make it harder to raise both local and state taxes.

Legislative Director Scott Kaufman announced that Sen. Kelly Seyarto and Assembly Member Phillip Chen have co-authored Senate Constitutional Amendment 4 to repeal the death tax and restore the constitutional protection against tax increases when certain property is transferred between parents and children, and sometimes grandparents and grandchildren. SCA 4 is sponsored by HJTA.

Director of Legal Affairs Laura Dougherty had updates about two important cases related to illegal fees and taxes — a lawsuit challenging the validity of Los Angeles Measure ULA, which is an unconstitutional real estate transfer tax for a special purpose, and a lawsuit against the City of Long Beach over an illegally imposed vacant lot fee.

Vice President of Communications Susan Shelley moderated the discussion and the Q&A with viewers.

If you missed it, you can watch the recording at www.TaxpayerWebinar.com. You can also register for our next taxpayer conference, on June 21 at 6:00 p.m., at the same link. (To make sure you never miss a notification, sign up for our free e-mail alerts at https://www.hjta.org/take-action/updates-by-e-mail.)