Soda makers scored a big victory in California with the passage of a ban on any statewide taxes until 2031.
Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, says deal was accomplished when the backers of a comprehensive tax initiative agreed to withdraw their 2018 ballot measure in exchange for protecting the soft drink industry from taxes designed to suppress consumption of drinks that health advocates say contribute to childhood obesity.
“This has happened before, where the initiative process is used as a kind of bludgeon to get a legislative fix for some issue.”
The dropped ballot initiative would have required cities and counties in the state to have a super-majority of voter support to raise local taxes.
He says the tactic is not looked on favorably by everyone.
“There’s two ways to look at this. You can look at this as saying the threat of a voter initiative is forcing he legislature to do its job. But there are others who are saying things like, ‘This weaponizing the initiative process and it’s extortion.”
Jon Coupal was a guest on McIntyre in the Morning.
By Sandy Wells
KABC News
