The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation has released a new report titled, “Follow the Money,” detailing government waste, fraud and abuse uncovered in 2014.
The report offers examples of irresponsible spending including $194 million in uncollected bills at the state toxics agency, $848 million in overpayments by the CalWORKs program and $80 million in illegal money transfers.
The Foundation even found California State University administrators spent hundreds of thousands in donated money on parties and alcohol.
“Even though California taxpayers already pay some of the nation’s highest taxes, Sacramento is considering even more, including new taxes on services and higher gas taxes,” said Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation Chairman Jon Coupal. “When you read the report, you’ll see billions of taxpayer dollars are going down the drain because of waste, fraud and abuse. The report is a clear message for politicians to do more with what they already receive, instead of raising taxes.”
While the amount of waste exposed in the report is massive, the Foundation emphasizes only waste publicly exposed and documented in 2014 is included.
“Californians can’t help but wonder how much more waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars remains hidden,” said Coupal. “It’s time to demand greater accountability from elected officials.”
Jon Coupal is the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA). HJTA, with offices in both Los Angeles and Sacramento, is the largest taxpayers association in California with a membership of over 200,000. Founded by the late Howard Jarvis, the author of Proposition 13, HJTA’s name is synonymous with tax relief and the uncompromising defense of the California homeowner.