START A TAXPAYER ORGANIZATION IN YOUR AREA
2024 is likely to bring some serious battles for taxpayers, as if taxes weren’t high enough now. Tax raisers often target their tax plans for presidential election years because they believe the turnout model is more favorable for them in these years. Meanwhile, taxpayers will be going on the offensive with measures of our own to bring runaway spending and taxation under control.
Your Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association works with local taxpayer organizations around California, and a strong network of taxpayer activists in every corner of the state is important for our movement to be successful and effective.
Local taxpayer organizations are non-partisan and focus on good government and fiscal responsibility, although taxpayer organizations often do make recommendations in support of candidates they believe can be trusted to budget responsibly and fight against tax increases.
And while HJTA has a full-time lobbying presence at the Capitol in Sacramento, hundreds of taxes are placed on the ballot by local governments in every election cycle. These tax increases sometimes go uncontested, with no campaigns or ballot arguments to tell the voters why they should vote “no.”
Just as HJTA advocates for taxpayers at the Capitol, representatives of local taxpayer organizations can attend city council, board of supervisors, and special district meetings, and if a tax makes it to your ballot, local taxpayer organizations can lead the fight in opposition.
Meanwhile, when important taxpayer issues face us all on a statewide basis, local taxpayer advocates can play an important role in raising awareness of the issues at hand before elected leaders in your community and with your local media.
Many counties in California have active taxpayer organizations. You can find out if you have one in your area by visiting https://www.hjta.org/resources/important-links/.
If no taxpayer organization exists in your area, why not start one? Visit https://www.hjta.org/resources/taxpayer-tools/form-a-local-taxpayer-group/ and download the “How to Form a Local Taxpayer Group” handbook for a guide on how to do just that.