January 29, 2016 - Finally… some good news on the effort to eliminate the annual CalFire fire tax. This week a Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s (HJTA) lawsuit claiming the $150-
a-year ‘fire fee’ is in fact a tax and therefore illegal. A tax requires the support of two- of the legislature – something this tax did not have when passed.What does this mean for those of us forced to pay the fee? This ruling means that anybody paying the fee will be included as class action defendants (there is a choice to opt out) and could be eligible for a refund if HJTA continues to prevail in court. In the meantime, property owners can still protest their bill by filing a petition for redetermination within 30 days of the billing date. Information on how to appeal can be obtained at www.calfirefee.com/appeal.
I will continue to keep you updated on this issue as well as my efforts to have it repealed.
Please feel free to contact my office with comments on this or any other state matter.
Source: Senator Tom Berryhill
