AT&T overtaxing consumers

How carefully do you read your cell phone bill each month? AT&T and other cellular providers mistakenly tax consumers for cities where they don't even live. Ouch!

Full story via Call Kurtis in Sacramento here.

It's been a while since my last post, but don't worry....

California governments still ate well. I traveled down to San Diego for a wedding and was pleasantly surprised to see sales taxes lowered to a "mere" 8.75% in some areas en route.

All in all, not counting fuel tax, the miscellaneous sales taxes I paid added up to $14.08.

Tipped my server, then tipped CA $2.08

Quick, casual lunch with a client. Paid $2.08 in tax.

California bit my nipple while breastfeeding this morning

I threw away 3 gas receipts since I started this blog because I didn't see any tax printed on them and wrongly assumed gas to be tax free. Turns out I was so very wrong. In fact, this is one area where California leads the nation. Isn't it great being #1? I will dig the other receipts out of the trash and post them later, so we can keep an accurate running total.

Gas tax is difficult to figure out. I'm going to take the optimistic view and say that's why they don't print it on the receipt. I don't want to think that anyone is deliberately trying to hide this information from the average consumer.

Here's how it breaks down according to taxfoundation.org:

$.466 per gallon (that's in addition to the $.184 per gallon federal tax.) Plus, California also applies 8.25% sales tax which includes a 1% local tax which localities cannot amend.

None of this appears on your gas receipt. As the saying goes: "When you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow."

Boy is California a thirsty little girl!

Total tax after filling up with 15.877 gallons: $10.85.*

*note: Calculating gas tax isn't easy to figure out, and there may be some other local taxes that are not factored in.

I didn't feed my pet California, today

But I think it's ok because my neighbor fed her.

CHP = California Highway Patroltaxcollectors

Ok, I take a lot of road trips, so I will admit that my odds of paying the "highway tax" are high. And I'm going to plead the 5th on the speeding charge, because the case is still pending. However, I believe I can make a good case for my innocence.

And I don't know the final amount just yet. I was accused of going that fast.

BUT. All that aside. I have this theory that when government gets too big, there is a point where it is forced to turn on its own people. It's not just my theory. Other people smarter than me believe this.

Fast forward to life in California, today. If you try to drive from Northern Cal to Southern Cal, you will find it very highly patrolled with radar traps literally everywhere you look.

Turning up the heat on the average California driver is a nice, easy way for the mother state to increase revenue without raising anyone's taxes. But we are all at risk of paying.

So the question is: should I fight the ticket? If we all fight every traffic ticket, will the courts only become more efficient at winning and collecting? Won't this approach only fuel the fire, so to speak? What do you think?

I don't know what I will have to pay just yet. But I know it will be high. Stay tuned.

In 'n Out Feeds Me & California Animal Style

$.86 directly to the state of California. Man, I gotta stop eating fast food!