Gavin Newsoms $14.3B tax gift to Californians should haunt his White House ambitions

You earn it, they spend it.That could be the unofficial motto of government in California.How (and how much) can they tax you, and how fast?The California Tax Foundation has an answer: In the last legislative session, Gov.Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislators imposed $14.3 billion in new taxes on Californians.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story That number would be mind-boggling — were it not so on brand.The foundation’s report is another demerit for Gavin Newsom as he gears up to run for president in 2028.It’s also a reminder that politics as usual in California is failing — utterly.And lastly, it’s a cue for California voters this November: Add to the tax misery at your own risk.

Don’t fall for the phony ballot summaries, the sympathetic-cause ruse, or the “other people with pay for it” hokum. All tax roads lead back to you, eventually.This, in a state that’s already unaffordable — some would say all but run into the ground. California has the nation’s highest gas taxes, highest statewide base sales tax rate and highest top personal income tax rate. It has the most extensive, and expensive, regulations in America. It has an extravagant climate regime that inflates prices for energy, housing — and just about everything else you buy.Gasoline can cost up to $2 more per gallon than it does in other states, for example, and state mandates add tens of thousands of dollars in extra costs to every new home.

All this for no discernible difference in the global climate (but plenty of green pork for special interests).And that’s just the start.The state also spends billions on a homeless industrial complex that has a financial incentive — i.e., an endless stream of tax dollars for “housing” and “services” — to entrench, not eli...