Give voters a choiceon new taxation

When it comes to raising taxes, what part of “no” don’t the politicians understand?

In the Virginia General Assembly, the bipartisan scheme by Gov. Mark Warner and the state Senate Republicans to raise taxes in the Old Dominion state could be passed into law in the weeks ahead. When antitax Republicans argued any tax hike should be approved by a vote of the people, the governor pouted that this would “turn Virginia into California.”

Mr. Warner, the pro-tax Republicans and the liberal media are all deadset against giving the voters the right to choose on taxes.

Mr. Warner is no fool. He knows a ballot initiative on his tax-increasing revenue grab would be soundly defeated. How do we know this? Because tax initiatives have been trounced every time and everywhere voters have had a say. This is why Republicans should stick to their guns: No tax increase without voter approval.

Every ballot initiative in the last two years that has called for taxpayers to make the “sacrifice” of paying higher taxes, voters respond with not just a “no” but a “hell no.” That string of victories for the antitax activists was lengthened earlier this month when Californians voted 60-40 against a measure to gut Proposition 13.

In Alabama, Oregon, Virginia and Washington state voters have recently soundly rejected new taxes (see chart). In Alabama even the governor’s attempt to draw Jesus into the debate failed to sway voters.

It’s particularly striking that the latest rejection of higher taxes comes from the folks on the Left Coast in California.

Now California has always been considered by Americans in middle America to be a little quacky. In many ways, it has pursued policies that would lead one to believe this is the most left-leaning of states. And that reputation has certainly been enhanced in the past few weeks with the same-sex marriage ceremonies that are all the rage in San Francisco. This is a state where the legislature recently approved a measure to give “equal rights” to transvestites.

There is also a movement in Sacramento to unilaterally sign the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty, the one that would put hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work.

But on taxes, Californians have never wavered in their opposition. The latest rejection of a ballot initiative to make it easier for the legislature to raise taxes, proves that even after 25 Years of the famous Proposition 13 antitax measure, and even after the left’s ceaseless attacks against the devastation to schools, public safety and government services it imputes to the tax revolt,the voters aren’t buying it.

Specifically, the California initiative would have gutted the two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes, replacing it with a slimmer 55 percent majority. Since the Democrats control more than 60 percent of both houses, this would have given liberals free rein to raise taxes through the roof.

If that rule had been in effect last year, it is likely nearly all the $65 billion in taxes and fees that were proposed by the state Democrats would have been passed into law. Given that the state faces the biggest deficit in the history of the states, even most Democratic voters realized this would be about as advisable as allowing Janet Jackson to appear on “Sesame Street.” A state wading in red ink can hardly afford to write blank checks.

In some ways, it is astonishing that after 25 years, Prooposition 13 is still regarded as sacrosanct among California voters. I guess Californians recognize this tax restraint measure is all that stands between the Gold State and Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Mark Warner’s comments that Virginia should not be turned into California was ironic because the two states have a lot in common when it comes to the fiscal mess.

The California budget rose nearly 40 percent in Gray Davis’ reign of fiscal terror, and it will take Arnold Schwarzenegger years to dig out of the hole. It rose 42 percent in Richmond over the same period.

That is to say, for all the special interest pleading in Richmond to fund “starved services” and to ensure that police and teachers get paid, Virginia has had more revenue and spending growth than California. And whereas Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a budget that grows just 2 percent a year until the budget is balanced, Mark Warner wants the budget in Virginia to grow 7 percent yearly. His two-year budget requests a 15 percent funding rise.

He is right about one thing: Only a massive tax increase will fund this meteoric spending growth.

Virginians keep saying “hell no” to new taxes, and the politicians in both parties seem to be politically tone deaf. The governor and the Republicans in the Senate just don’t seem to understand what the meaning of the word “no” is.

Stephen Moore is the president of the Club for Growth.