By George Miller
We warned you about it last year, then subsequently, too, about the $77 million Oxnard “New Tax Triple Whammy”. Now, here is the next expensive installment we repeatedly cautioned you about- a $45 million dollar annual sales tax increase- on top of the $13 million one they previously sold you.
Basically, staff is now telling you that this $45 million new sales tax is needed for “budget sustainability” because of the COVID-19 government-ordered shutdown resulting in $8+ million in lost revenue, as well as chronic deficits. This is interesting, since they started laying the groundwork for it last year, before anyone had even heard of COVID-19.
Their pitch is summarized on the very first slide of the proposed budget in the 6-16-20 council meeting agenda packet, starting on page 344 (see graphic). But this is not a one time “stimulus” to make up for lost revenues, but a permanent tax that they are advocating.
Remember, that this is only one element of their $77 million “triple whammy” tax bonanza.
The only good news is that voters can stop it, if they are sufficiently informed, AND also insist upon government being limited and better managing the funding from taxpayers. Otherwise, just like the state’s insane never-ending tax and spend and tax some more approach, it will never be enough.
By “budget sustainability,” they seem to mean no meaningful cuts to programs, no significant concessions on employee compensation.
Meanwhile they have radically increased development and other fees, some of which would take pressure off the general fund AND authorized borrowing $30 million from three separate utility enterprise funds.
Remember that they also voted to fund public safety pensions to the tune of $64,000+ per employee per year.
All this to meet projected losses of $8.1 million this year and $8.4 million next year. Are these losses expected to continue forever? If not, why are the tax increases seemingly permanent.?
Time to speak up NOW and vote against the tax if they should be so imprudent as to try to ram all this down our throats. Demand better solutions than that.
Read more about Oxnard’s plan to levy crushing taxes …..
Oxnard’s Rapidly Coming New Tax Triple Whammy- $77 Million+!
If there was ever a time to speak out on city direction- it is right NOW. Deficit-prone Oxnard has borrowed and borrowed and made some cuts to balance the budget in the past, often restoring the cuts later. Its overspending and poor management were catching up with it already. Then the COVID-19 lockdown […]
George Miller is Publisher/Co-Founder of CitizensJournal.us and a “retired” operations management consultant residing in Oxnard.
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George, come on let’s be real – $77 million tax whammy?! The math here is shoddy at best. The utilities loan is NOT a tax on residents. This article is EXTREMELY misleading! More ridiculous propaganda.
Citizens of Oxnard must decide: more services will be cut without the additional sales tax or maintain services and add more with the additional sales tax.
I am MORE than happy to pay my share to keep this city maintained. TAX ME!
No “propaganda,” Alejandro. That money must be REPAID and that will only come from new money, which was explained in the original article. There is a blizzard of new taxes and fees which is way more than the deficits. When you add up all the other taxes and fees, its even more.
We also have big new state gas taxes + cap and trade.
In 2008 the City argued that the sales tax rate in Oxnard was the lowest in the state. That is not true today.
Today, at a rate of 7.75%, 318 incorporated cites have a higher rate; 45 cities a lower rate and 123 cities the same 7.75% rate.
With an increase to 9.25%, 106 cities will have a higher rate, 340 cities a lower rate and 40 cities with the same 9.25% rate.