News

DC Delegation Recap: LA Tax forges important partnerships for taxpayers

Los Angeles County Taxpayers recently returned from our delegation trip to Washington DC, where we held a series of productive meetings with members of Congress and leading policy experts. At the top of our agenda was to forge partnerships that will enable us to take effective action on behalf of taxpayers in America’s most populous county, at nearly 10 million residents. 

 

Our team had the opportunity to meet with pro-taxpayer California representatives and staff from the offices of Reps. Mike Garcia, David Valadao and John Duarte as well as policy organizations including Americans for Tax Reform and the National Taxpayers Union. In fact, LATax Chairman Aidan Chao was invited to present to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday morning meeting, a key DC gathering described by CBS News as “a weekly meeting of the leading lights of the conservative movement.”

 

Given that Los Angeles is located a considerable 2800 mile distance from Washington (for comparison, London is only 1800 miles from Moscow) DC policymakers don’t always have readily accessible opportunities to learn about the state of affairs in Los Angeles County firsthand and face to face. Nevertheless, our communities are pivotal in California elections and often determinative. 49.9 percent of LA County small businesses are owned by immigrants and people working to achieve the American dream are interested in lessening their tax burden and removing unnecessary obstacles.

 

Number one on our agenda was to discuss an important reform California voters will decide on in 2024: the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act. LA County residents have among the nation’s most severe tax burdens, and this measure would give voters a say in any new tax proposals, both locally and statewide.

 

Next, we discussed the renewal of the Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, which provides affordable internet access to low-income families, rural communities, and underserved areas. The ability to work, run a business, study, and receive medical care online is a priority for members of both parties and especially for Los Angeles County residents who live in the rural northern part of our county. 

 

An important aspect of the ACP that Republicans fought for when it was first created is that it gives consumers the ability to choose their broadband provider. Eight Republican senators recently signed a letter urging the ACP be renewed, and we’d urge Speaker McCarthy to move this item forward expediently as ACP funds are expected to run out in 2024 if action is not taken.

 

Finally, we discussed the Repeal the Death Tax effort, which would restore California property owners’ ability to pass on their Proposition 13 base value to their heirs when they die. This effort affects both homeowners and mom and pop landlords, as well as their tenants who could face steep rent increases if the death tax is not repealed. Soon, a petition will be available for taxpayers to sign and help place Repeal the Death Tax on the ballot, and getting the word out is vital to getting the signatures necessary.

 

All in all, we believe the partnerships we forged in our nation’s capital as a result of this trip will pay big dividends for LA County Taxpayers, and we’re looking forward to building on these relationships to address our county’s cost of living and tax burden and ultimately make life better for people in our community.

Share This :