Sacto's Tricks - The Latest is 10% Less in Our Paychecks

Post Scripts ^ | 10/31/09 | Tina Grazier

[OneVike]

Our lawmakers have a trick for you this Halloween. Starting Sunday 10% more will be withheld from paychecks to cover the states $1.7 billion shortfall in the budget. They say it isn't a tax increase, it's just an interest free loan that we will recover in April when we file our taxes. Gee thanks guys, we all feel much better now.

"California to withhold a bigger chunk of paychecks," by Shane Goldmacher and W.J. Hennigan - Los Angeles Times

The provision is one of numerous maneuvers state lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved in the summer to paper over the state's deficit. Many of the changes, including the extra withholding, were little noticed outside of Sacramento. ** Savvy taxpayers can get around the state's maneuver by increasing the number of personal withholding allowances they claim on their employer tax forms, said Brenda Voet, a spokeswoman for the state's Franchise Tax Board. ** "People can get out of this," she said, noting that most people would have to change their allowances through their employers. California's budget leaders are banking on the hope that most won't. (emphasis mine)

But wait...isn't this the same state government that continues to hire new workers and expand government even as the state's population declines? Something is wrong with this picture...

[wiggen]

wow. just wow. this is what decades of free everything for illegals has wrought.

[OCCASparky]

Dear California,

Thanks for reminding me (AGAIN!) why I left.

[wiggen]

then they can run their health care experiment there and watch it FAIL miserably.

[OCCASparky]

If you made 1000 per week, and they took 100, they’d take 110 instead.

Same analogy and almost the same exact numbers I used on another board. But that still adds up to another $500 a year the state is taking that they don't deserve and giving it to those who won't work.

Nobody cares much about $10. They do about $500 (or more).

[wiggen]

don’t you know,they’re too big a problem to deal with so amnesty for all and we just know they’ll suddenly start paying taxes.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Congradulations on escaping Massachusetts the Athens.....excuse me......”The Ass-Ends of America”

[Sorry screen name in use]

My first response is “HA HA”... Oh, but hey... its OK, all you have to do is move to TEXAS!! Texas where there is no state income tax.. thats right ZERO!!

[unixfox]

How bout getting rid of 10% of ILLEGAL aliens? Maybe that would be a start!

[unixfox]

all you have to do is move to TEXAS!! Texas where there is no state income tax.. thats right ZERO!!

Not yet, and believe me they keep trying.

If we can't get our ILLEGAL population under control we will definitely see it.

[doug from upland]

I presumed if it took out SF, it would take care of Oakland. :)

[wiggen]

its amazing to consider but if Oakland/San Fran went independent,made their own state,they’d be in the same dire straits as Zimbabwe. They couldn’t (maybe wouldn’t is a better word) support themselves in any sense of the word.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

mMemo to self: Time to increase deductions to 150.

[Gondring]

They are Republican more than truly republican. They’d trade our republic for an oligarchy any day.

[Gondring]

It would be fun watching that process. LOL. Hillarious!!

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia could give you a preview, but she's unavailable.

[Rockitz]

Can we just go in and up our exemptions to counter this?

We got twice as much back from Sacto than we did from the fed last year so it was already bad.

[Grampa Dave]

How bout getting rid of 10% of ILLEGAL aliens? Maybe that would be a start! Thanks for posting this. I have yet to read where any payments to illegals have been cut or eliminated.

[John Jorsett]

Step two is when it comes time for your refund, you’ll get an IOU.

[DontTreadOnMe2009]

In lieu of my state tax refund last year I received a voucher. The paper said that I could cash the voucher on October 2nd and I would receive 3.75% interest. OK, I had not intended to purchase a California Bond but I wasn’t receiving 3.75% interest on my CDs so I would at least get that interest. Come October 2, I went to the bank and before depositing my check I asked how I would receive the interest.
No one knew and I went home with my check to look things up online. Going to the state Treasurer’s site I found that despite the writing on my voucher interest would actually only be paid through September 2nd. Not only that but if you deposit into your bank you were relinquishing the interest. The only way to collect it was to present the voucher to the state Treasurer’s office in Sacramento. In essence they promised an interest rate and then made it impossible to collect it. Now they are not even promising anything.

God that’s an amazing story

The government cheating its own taxpayers

with a trick!!!!!!!!!

[reg45]

If I recall correctly, California did not have enough money to pay last year’s tax refunds on time. So! What will they do next April 15th. - pay refunds with movie vouchers.

[hoosiermama]

My cousin is visiting from CA. They are retired. WIll this be taken out of just salaries or taken out of all income generated in the state?