A ballot initiative designed to limit the ability of voters and the government to raise taxes is eligible for the 2024 ballot.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced last week that the initiative received the needed 997,139 signatures to qualify for the November 2024 ballot.
The big picture: The proposition, which will receive a number after the June 2024 primary, would amend the California Constitution to implement a variety of rules that would affect how taxes are raised.
- California’s lawmakers will face a new check on their authority by the people.
- The initiative will require a statewide election and majority voter approval for new or increased state taxes currently enacted by a two-thirds vote of the state legislature.
- Local special taxes would also be impacted. The proposition would raise the vote requirement to two-thirds for all local special taxes.
Go deeper: Under the proposal, voters would not be allowed to vote on how the government should spend revenues from a proposed general tax on the same ballot as the proposed tax.
- The definition of “taxes” would be changed to include certain regulatory fees, which would broaden the application of tax approval requirements.
- The Secretary of State’s Office expects the proposition could substantially lower annual state and local revenues.
