Fire tax re-emerges

The beast is back.

At least that was the reaction of Nevada County's treasurer-tax collector when she learned that the idea of a statewide tax on property owners for fire protection has resurfaced.

"I looked at it and said, 'Oh my God, alive again,'" Chris Dabis said, when she learned that a proposal for a statewide property tax for fire could be back on the table.

Dabis said she thought when the proposal had been killed after it was removed from a Senate budget bill last year as a result of a lawsuit filed by the California Farm Bureau Federation against the state, nearly all 58 counties, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. If it had passed, it would have imposed a $70 tax across a two-year period on all property owners, including those in Nevada County, who own land that is deemed high risk to fire.

But now, according to a report recently released by state policy experts in the legislative analysts office, the tax could return in a different form.

The report, an in-depth analysis of the cost of the state's fire-protection system, is for legislators to use as a guide and source of information, said Michael Jarvis, the deputy director of communications for the CDF.

In it, policy analysts recommended levying a per-acre tax on property owners in high-risk areas. The money would go to the CDF, which has seen its firefighting costs rise in recent years. The previous tax would have brought in about $50 million, according to the bill.

While the new proposal is merely in its infancy - not even in bill-form yet - Dabis raises several questions.

"What disturbs me is that it is a break with precedence," she said, adding "property taxes are a local issue and the state never has put a charge on local property."

While the state now suffers from budget deficits and searches for solutions, for example, Dabis was concerned that this could set a new trend in ways to find money for other services such as education and the prison system that are also in dire financial need.

Dabis is also worried that it would be difficult for counties to collect because if mistakes are made, as they often are, she said, or if residents have questions, she would have a more difficult time helping since it comes from the state. She compared it to a local fire assessment, saying if there are troubles, the answer is easy to find.

She also questioned whether the tax is fair since the idea does not differentiate between important details such as irrigated lands and forest lands - which have different fire risks, she said. "Imagine figuring that out from your desk," she said.

Whether the legislators will ever be faced with making a decision, however, is uncertain. The first step would be for a legislator to sponsor a bill, Jarvis said.

The report can be found at www.nevadacountytax.com