I am pleased to join with my fellow Republicans in the Assembly in introducing Assembly Bill 1506, legislation that will repeal the unconstitutional fire tax.

Assembly Bill 1506 would reverse the Governor’s and legislative Democrats’ budget gimmick to raise $84 million by collecting a fire tax from residents living in rural areas.  These communities are often in designated “State Responsibility Areas” and rely on state crews for fire prevention and protection, especially during peak wildfire seasons.

Republicans are fighting to remove this unfair tax that will burden rural taxpayers: most of whom already pay local fire taxes. Many counties have locally-assessed taxes and fees of several hundred dollars that directly support local fire stations and manpower. A statewide fire tax on these areas is essentially duplicative because it fails to create any additional protection.

A fire tax on residents living in State Responsibility Areas is unjust and unconstitutional. Voters passed Proposition 26 last year to prohibit this kind of thing, requiring a 2/3 majority vote of the Legislature to pass fees and taxes.

At a time when fiscal responsibility is a must, Democrats should not be trying to tax voters twice to cover their own budget mismanagement. Assembly Bill 1506 will repeal this injustice by removing this illegal property tax.