DeMaio Announces Vote on CA Taxpayer Protection Initiative

Californians already pay the highest taxes in the country, but Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio is fighting to change that by asking voters to approve a state constitutional amendment called the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative that would make it harder for state and local politicians to impose costly and unfair tax hikes in the future.

DeMaio helped spearhead a volunteer signature drive that collected more than 1.4 million signatures in the summer of 2022 to force the measure on the 2024 ballot.  State election officials reviewed all those signatures and this week the California Secretary of State gave official notice that the initiative had qualified for the 2024 ballot and will be voted on by the people.

“Our volunteers worked tirelessly to get the job done - and now voters will have a chance to stop the endless cycle of tax hikes in California,” an appreciative DeMaio said as he celebrated the good news.

“Californians are literally fleeing our state because of the high cost-of-living and high taxes imposed by reckless politicians — and this ballot measure is a powerful way for voters to say ‘enough is enough,” DeMaio said.

“The California Taxpayer Protection Initiative is a real game-changed because it will change the rules so taxpayers have a fair chance to defeat costly tax hikes going forward,” DeMaio added.

Specifically the measure will:

• Restore a two-thirds vote for any tax hike – thus ending the way they imposed the car and gas takes hikes recently
• Impose a stricter definition on what is a "tax" so politicians can't call them "fees"
• Require the words "tax increase" be included on the official title of any measure that appears on the ballot that contains a tax hike inside of it, and
• Repeal dozens of tax hikes imposed after Jan 1, 2022 – immediately saving taxpayers money

DeMaio says the savings to taxpayers if the measure passes would be “substantial and immediate.” DeMaio points to the high electric and gas utility rates imposed by California politicians as just one example.

“With the recent revelation that California politicians imposed over $4.5 billion in ‘hidden state taxes’ on our electric and gas utility bills, we're working with our lawyers to determine how the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative can invalidate all those extra charges to save utility ratepayers immediately,” said DeMaio.

“Not since Prop 13 in 1978 have we had such an opportunity to block tax hikes and make California more affordable in the long term — potentially guaranteeing thousands of dollars in future savings for the average family,” explained DeMaio.

Now that the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative has qualified for the 2024 ballot, DeMaio is pivoting to put together a massive statewide campaign to win the YES vote in the election.

“California politicians have already raised millions in special interest money to defeat our initiative, and we must immediately begin to mobilize a statewide grassroots campaign to win the yes vote,” said DeMaio.

DeMaio says Reform California’s campaign to win the YES vote needs immediate help including:

• Volunteers to deliver yard signs, canvass door-to-door, and help organize rallies
• Endorsements of civic groups and elected officials
• Contributions to fund the campaign itself

“This will be a two-for-one campaign because as we work to win the YES vote on the California Taxpayer Protection Initiative, we will also be working to defeat any state or local tax hike measure on the same ballot,” DeMaio noted.

“We need your immediate help — I’m asking every Californian who opposes costly new tax hikes to join our campaign today,” DeMaio concluded.