Assemblymembers Olsen and Jeffries Introduce Bill to Repeal Fire Taxfire tax

On September 2, 2011 Assemblymember Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto, and Assemblymember Kevin Jeffries, R-Lake Elsinore, introduced a bill to repeal the State Responsibility Area Fee passed in June. Assembly Bill X1 45, will repeal the fire tax that was passed as part of this year’s Democrat majority vote budget.  The state fire board recently passed emergency regulations that set the tax starting at $70 - $90 per structure in “State Responsibility Areas” located primarily in rural and unincorporated parts of the state. “I’m proud to be a principal co-author of ABx1 45,” said Olsen. “The State Responsibility Area Fee was hastily passed without having been properly vetted by policy and fiscal committees. Repealing this illegal fee is the right thing to do to prevent rural residents from being double taxed without increased fire protection.”

Currently, many communities pay local taxes for fire protection that are on top of the services provided by CalFire.  In effect, homeowners will be double-taxed for the same level of service.   Additionally, the new fire tax is legally questionable as Democrats call it a fee.  The voters approved Proposition 26 last year to require new fees that benefit the public broadly to pass by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature or by local voters.  The fire tax is clearly an attempt to undermine the will of the people since it was passed on only a simple majority vote. “Having served my community as a volunteer firefighter for three decades, fire protection and prevention are critically important to me, but the Governor’s fire tax is both unfair and unnecessary for our state,” said Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, R-Lake Elsinore.  “Assembly bill 45 X will roll back the double taxation on homeowners and force the state to make honest spending choices with the dollars it does have.” Assemblymember Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto, represents the 25th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the communities of Angels Camp, Chowchilla, Hughson, Mammoth Lakes, Mariposa, Modesto, Oakdale, Oakhurst, Riverbank, Sonora, and Waterford.