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Anti-tax leader proposes new sales tax
| Tuesday, Jul 22 2008 12:58 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Jul 23 2008 7:29 AM
The debate is on over a proposed one-cent sales tax increase in Kern County.
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Michael Turnipseed, executive director of the Kern County Taxpayers Association, said the increase would improve quality of life and voters should get to decide it.
He admitted the measure, which could raise $3 billion over 20 years and boost the tax rate from 7.25 percent to 8.25 percent, puts him in strange position as an anti-tax leader.
“It boils down to the people’s choice,” Turnipseed said. “They’re going to vote for it or not. This is local people at the local level funding local government services,” he said.
But Ken Mettler, president of the conservative Bakersfield Republican Assembly, questioned the wisdom of a tax increase when there’s a state Legislature full of “tax and spend” addicts.
“The desire for Kern County to provide the necessary matching tax funds for our transportation needs is admirable,” Mettler said. “But the reality is that the more we tax ourselves here locally... the more funds (will be) taken from us by an addicted state legislature.”
The Kern tax board supports the proposal and suggests the money be spent on major freeway projects, road repairs, new jail space at Lerdo Jail, fire station construction and a level one trauma center at Kern Medical Center, Turnipseed said.
But the group can’t push too hard for those priorities.
To be passable by a simple majority of the vote, the proposed tax increase would have to be a general one for all county programs.
Putting specific priorities on the money would require a two-thirds yes vote, according to County Counsel Bernard Barmann.
Turnipseed said the general tax would work and voters could show support for some priorities if the measure were worded correctly.
County supervisors would tamper with those priorities at their own risk, Turnipseed said.
“You would be spending it at your peril if you don’t follow the will of the people,” he said.
Turnipseed said the development industry is not backing the proposal the way it did a failed half-cent sales tax for roads in 2006.
Developers face stiff increases in government fees to build roads, parks and other amenities, he said.
“This is going to complement things,” Turnipseed said of the new sales tax idea. “There are still going to be developer fees and they’re still going to go up. The (transportation) needs are too great. We’re 20 years behind.”