From The Assembly Republican Caucus:

Assembly Republican Caucus Launches Interactive Budget Website
Website Highlights Democrat Tax Increases and Emphasize Republican Solutions

In response to repeated calls for tax increases by legislative Democrats, the Assembly
Republicans have launched a website to highlight the very personal impact those taxes would have on hard-working California families.

"We have launched this web campaign to show that children, homeowners, and seniors are not merely 'tax loopholes', as claimed by some but how they are the potential victims of a short-term, quick fix to the current budget deficit," said Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines, R-Fresno. "It is unfortunate that my Democrat colleagues cannot see that our state's spending problems will continue budget year after budget year - unless we enact sensible budget reforms and begin the difficult task of long-term fiscal planning."

The State of California's spending habits have increased at an astounding rate - growing by almost 58%, from $66 billion per year in 2000 to $104 billion this year. California's current deficit of $17.2 billion, for comparison, is larger than all the revenues of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa combined.

Some of the Republican plans to fix these problems are to stabilize spending by putting a cap on the budget, and require the Governor's office to publish an estimate of the condition of the state's General Fund for the upcoming year.

In addition to the three unsound taxes outlined on the website, Democrats have proposed or introduced legislation amounting to nearly $47 billion in new or higher taxes - not including their most recent budget proposal. These run the gamut from a global warming tax, to higher gas taxes, to a tax on the internet, and the return of the car tax increase, removed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2003.

The Assembly Republicans will continue to fight to protect California families and sensible budget reform without resorting to piecemeal attempts at solutions, higher taxes, and the potential for even larger deficits in the coming years.

For more information, please go to www.WeAreNotATaxLoophole.info.