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Advocating for California Taxpayers: The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
By Christina Miller
We all want to keep more of our money. That’s pretty much a given. Even people who vote for higher taxes really want to keep more of their money. (Like a lifelong liberal who used to have stuff mailed to our house so he could escape Massachusetts’ shipping tax.) Each year on April 15, we grunt and groan as we calculate percentages and sign forms and look frantically for tax deductions. When it’s all over, we sigh, “If only I didn’t have to pay these taxes!”
This is especially true in California, which “boasts” one of the most liberal state legislatures, very high tax rates, and the most expensive zip code in the Union. And if you think it’s bad now, imagine what it would be like without the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Since its founding in 1978, the HJTA has saved California taxpayers over $528 billion, which means savings of $57,000 for the average California family.
Sammy Winner: Stefan Sharkansky
If there’s one thing Stefan Sharkansky—the winner of the Sammy Sunshine Award—has learned from his experiences using open records, it’s that persistence is imperative.
