Californiataxication

California Water Bill

The following is a day in the life of an adult living in California on this day January 24th 2011.  As you get prepared to listen to the State of the Union and the State of California speeches over the next few days, remember this story please.

The day begins with a trip to bathroom and brewing of some coffee.  The second I wake up I am faced with taxes on the water used to flush the toilet and brew the coffee.  The average California water bill is $80.00 of which $6.00 is taxes and fees such as: CPUC fee, Local Tax, Public Purpose Program Fee and “other charges”.  These water taxes and fees will haunt me all day, when I shower, clean dishes, cook food, and do the laundry.

Now, every step I take in my house is taxed through property tax.  The montly property tax charge for a median priced house is $250.00.  This is pure tax, no benefit associated with this other than a cost for owning land or imporvements on land in California.

As I put on clothes I face taxes in the form of sales tax on every stitch of fabric I put on.  We average 9% sales tax on EVERY purchase in California other than food and water.  So as I put on my $300.00 dollar shirt, pants, socks, belt, and shoes, I paid $27.00 in sales tax.

Comcast Cable Bill...fees...fees...

I want to watch my local news and listen to my voice mail before I leave to work, you would think no taxes here…wrong.  The average Internet and cable bill in California is $85, and that cell phone is $95.00.  When you look at those bills welcome to charges such as Franchise Fee, State and Local Sales tax, as well as FCC regulatory fee.  For arguments sake lets say about $25.00 of your $180.00 per month total cable, Internet and cell phone bills are taxes of one kind or another.

California Electric Bill

For me to flush the toilet, turn on my lights and brew the coffee I need electricity.  Welcome to the greatest bastion of fees and taxes ever seen on a utility bill.  The average dual use electricity and natural gas bill is $100.00.  Of that bill you are hit with fees called, Public Purpose Program, Nuclear decommissioning, Trust Transfer amount, DWR Bond Charge, Ongoing CTC, and Regulatory Asset fee. Of that average bill $25.00 goes to those fees and taxes.

Now I begin to walk into my Garage and drive to work..let the REAL taxation begin.  My $20,000.00 car was hit with a 10% sales tax and registration fee when I purchased it, that totals $2,000.00.  I go fill up my gas tank, welcome to $0.55/gallon federal, state and local taxes.  It took me 20 gallons to fill up so $11.00 in taxes today.  I then drove down interstate 680 over to San Jose California, where I was charged a fee of $6.00 to use the express lane, and then $5.00 to use the Dumbarton Bridge. 

I arrived at work and put in a good hard day of work in which I earned $200.00 for my effort.  That is what you think you earned.  Actually I was taxed on the work I just did to better our society in the amount of 30% income, 7% Social Security, 3% Medicare, 6% State income and 3% State Disability.  So I REALLY was taxed in the amount of $100.00 and only will take home $100.00 for my hard work all day.

I end the day by taking my girlfriend out to dinner, when I received my $40.00 bill I see that $4.00 is sales tax, so refreshing that even if I go out to eat and try to support the local community I am taxed in doing so.

Californiataxication ——–Total Taxes Paid by One citizen in One Day equals $162.00

Welcome to Tyranny

God Bless You

God Bless America