http://cbs13.com/local/state.parks.v...2.1398480.html
Quote:
Proposal: Hike Vehicle Fees To Pay For State Parks
A new plan could stop the crippling cuts to California state parks by increasing fees on vehicle licenses, but the idea will need to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures from residents to make it onto the ballot and voters will ultimately need to approve it.
The new ballot initiative proposal would tack on an $18 surcharge to the vehicle license fee and allocate the revenue to state parks. The surcharge would buy car owners an annual pass that will get them into most state parks for free all year.
The plan would create a sizeable pile of cash for the state: $500 million every year. It would save the state $200 million on the general fund budget, even though it would mean the end of $50 million each year from day-use fees.
Will voters see a new tax, or the value of a cheap pass? The first test will come when the proposal's sponsors try to gather the signatures necessary to put the issue on the 2010 ballot.
They will need 433,971 verified signatures, according to the Attorney General's office.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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Wow, just wow. Just when you think that Californians are coming to a point where they must wake up to the reality of our budget crisis, they come up with a new plan to increase taxes to save something that should, by all means, be self sustaining.
Instead of charging fees to those who actually use the state parks, they will charge everyone with a car- whether or not they ever drive to or enjoy our state parks. The harsh reality is that without making some hard decisions about what parks we will fund and to what degree, we will only driving more people out of California with added taxation. It either that, or those who must stay or wish to stay will revolt.