Last year, widespread rural opposition, including here in our Morongo Basin, arose in response to announcement of a state fire prevention tax, based upon the number of habitable structures on property in state fire protection areas. Dan Stork says now the state has dialed back, at least temporarily, on the collection of the tax…..
CAL FIRE is so burdened by appeals of the fire prevention tax, that it has asked the California Board of Equalization to postpone collection of the tax. A press release issued by the Board of Equalization cited both workload pressures generated by such appeals, as well as a suit filed on March 12 by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association challenging the constitutionality of the tax. The Chairman of the Board of Equalization, Jerome E. Horton said, “Time will determine whether these funds were necessary to help prevent and manage fires in certain areas, and whether the law is constitutional. If the law is found to be unconstitutional, we will not permit these fees to further burden feepayers.”
STATE FIRE TAX COLLECTION POSTPONED
