In the aftermath of the California legislature passing and Gov. Jerry Brown signing into law an “Amazon Tax,” it looks like taxpayers unhappy about the Golden State’s pursuit of the almost certainly unconstitutional measure may get an opportunity to kill it off.
According to KQED, this week, a formal request for a referendum to overturn the law was filed in Sacramento. In order to make it on the ballot, backers will have to get something in the range of 500,000 signatures once the petition is cleared by the state’s Attorney General. One question that will need to be settled is whether the referendum is allowed in view of the fact that the Amazon Tax was included in the budget, but signs point to this being a possibility.
According to Amazon.com Vice President Paul Misener, “This is a referendum on jobs and investment in California. As Governor Brown has made clear, it is important to directly involve the citizens of California in key issues and we believe that Californians will want to vote to protect small business and keep jobs in the state.”
If placed on the ballot, the referendum could have a good chance of success.
While California is a liberal state, voters often take the conservative position on ballot measures, such as Proposition 26, a taxpayer protection tool that incidentally critics of the Amazon Tax measure say the legislature almost certainly violated when passing it recently.
Gov. Brown’s office opposes the proposed effort to can the tax via referendum.
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