Why increasing the tax on California drilled oil and natural gas will put you and me in deep trouble.

The State Legislature is attempting to close the budget gap by taxing oil that comes out of the ground.  The chart on the left will show you that we will be taxed at the highest rate in the country! 

By raising a new tax, it will cause us to be more dependent of foreign oil and cost us jobs!  Why?

Producers will stop drilling for oil and natural gas when its costs them more.  If they do produce it, they will have no choice but to pass the cost onto us.  However, if imported oil from states like Texas or Mexico per say,  is cheaper, it will shut down most if not all the oil producing wells in California.  The end result will be to throw out and estimated 10,000 oil/natural gas jobs and affect over 100,000 jobs that are related to producing oil and natural gas.

Oil and oil related jobs pay twice the average salary in California.  Plus they have one of the best benefits packages in the country.

The cost will go up for the finished product when you figure  transportation, distribution, and refining  oil outside California.  Estimates range from .20 cents a gallon upwards to .50 cent a gallon increase! 

Does it make sense to throw out 10,000 well paying jobs in California when we are desperate to keep un-employment below 10%?

I urge you to forward this link to every person you know in California and to your own State Legislator.   We must stop this dangerous legislation from becoming law.  Cut Government spending!  Quit driving all the good jobs out of the State!

The Paul Smith for Congress website is www.paulsmithforcongress.org
Paul Smith.  Republican Candidate for the 5th Congressional District (Sacramento).