The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has released a report documenting billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse in California’s state government uncovered in 2015.
The report, titled Follow the Money 2015, documents such examples of waste as $477 million in vacation time abuse by state government employees, $110 million the government spent lobbying itself, a bureaucratic boondoggle that robbed charities of $10 million and almost $5 billion in taxpayer funded subsidies given to a green energy billionaire.
“HJTA releases the Follow the Money report every year, and unfortunately there are always plenty of examples of waste,” said Eric Eisenhammer, the Association’s Director of Grassroots Operations, who authored the report.
The examples found in the report come from publicly available data such as official investigations and media reports, indicating there may be billions more in waste, fraud and abuse that has yet to be discovered.
“Californians already pay some of the highest taxes in the nation, so this report raises important questions about where our money actually goes,” said Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “When taxpayers are asked to approve new taxes on their November ballot, they should ask why the government needs more money when so much is currently wasted.”
To download a copy of the report, go to HJTA.org and click “Studies and Reports” under the Resources tab.
Jon Coupal is the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA). HJTA, with offices in both Los Angeles and Sacramento, is the largest taxpayers association in California with a membership of over 200,000. Founded by the late Howard Jarvis, the author of Proposition 13, HJTA’s name is synonymous with tax relief and the uncompromising defense of the California homeowner.