Archive for Carl DeMaio

California Wants To Reveal Taxpayers Income To Utility Company To Raise Their Tax Rates

California Wants To Reveal Your Income To Your Utility Company To Raise Your Rates
California wants to impose a new “charge” on your utility bill that you have to pay regardless of whether you use any energy that month and the rate will now be based on your income. Reform California opposes the charge and calls it an illegal tax and a violation of privacy. If you make over $180,000 annually you must pay an additional utility fee of $128 per month or $1536 per year more on your utility fees. While those making under $28,000 annually will pay an extra utility fee of $24 per month or $288 annually.

Californians are still suffering under some of the highest utility rates in the country, and many can barely afford to pay their bills.

Now California Democrat politicians want to impose a new “flat fee” on all utility bills based on each household’s income for the year. That means many residents will pay a charge of $128 per month – while low income and other “favored” groups pay just $24 for the SAME SERVICE.

Opponents say California Democrats are just playing class warfare and the “fee” is really an illegal tax on most Californians to subsidize the bills of lower-income residents.

The fixed rates are required under Assembly Bill 205 (AB 205), which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom (D) in 2022. The bill states that “the commission may authorize fixed charges [for utilities] … The fixed charge shall be established on an income-graduated basis.”

The specific rates in this “flat fee” scheme is now being voted on by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The proposal would charge customers of Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, and San Diego Gas & Electric fixed rates based on income. For San Diego Gas & Electric customers, the rates would be as follows:

  • Income of under $28,000: $24/month
  • Income of $28,000-69,000: $34/month
  • Income of $69,000-180,000: $73/month
  • Income of over $180,000: $128/month

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Written by | Posted in California Taxes • California Utility Taxes • Tax Increases • TaxConnections

Living In California Imposes a $26,478.72 “Cost-of-Living Penalty” On Typical Middle-Class Family

CARL DEMAIO
A bombshell report from the Transparency Foundation calculates the total higher costs paid by Californians versus national averages – and lays the blame for higher costs on California politicians for costly mandates and negligent policies.

Everyone knows living in California is more expensive than in other states – but a new report out makes a staggering total calculation of all the added costs and blames state politicians for imposing “unreasonable and completely unnecessary cost-of-living-penalty.”

“This report should be a wake up call to all Californians that they are being unfairly punished by the bad policies imposed on them by their politicians – and they are literally paying the price for it,” says Carl DeMaio, Chairman of the Transparency Foundation – the non-profit, non-partisan group that published the study.

The Transparency Foundation’s Cost of California Report compares costs in every major household budget category between California and national averages – including for housing, utilities, food, gas, transportation, healthcare, insurance, childcare, and taxes.

“In every household budget category, the cost of living in California is exponentially higher than the national average – and costly mandates and bad policies are to blame,” says DeMaio.

Outside of the analysis of each category of living costs is a calculation made by the foundation to illustrate the effects of California’s high cost of living on a typical middle-class family.

The study shows that a typical middle-class family of three earning $130,000 a year faces a shocking “Cost of California” penalty of $26,478.72 versus if they simply paid the national average of cost in each category.

What’s worse, the typical middle-class family examined by the report ends up running an annual deficit of $23,710.20 versus being able to run an annual surplus of $2,768.52 if their costs were simply benchmarked to the national average in each category.

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Written by | Posted in California Taxes