Speaking of California, the California Taxpayers Association has put out an excellent guide to understanding Proposition 26. Passed in 2010, the initiative expands taxpayer protections to all types of government charges. Elected officials will now find it harder to circumvent requirements by pretending that a taxA tax is a mandatory payment or charge collected by local, state, and national governments from individuals or businesses to cover the costs of general government services, goods, and activities. is a “fee” or other charge.
Check it out here (PDF). Here’s a one-page chart from the guide, which one can use to see whether a proposal is a tax or not.
