A Backlash Against Rising State Fees

Want to renew your driver’s license, go to a state park, or sue someone in civil court? Chances are you’ll pay higher fees for those and other government services than you would have just a few years ago. Raising fees — instead of taxes — is one budget tactic many states have used to weather the weak economy.

A backlash against fee increases is underway, however, as Republicans at the state level turn tea party enthusiasm against the rising cost of government transactions. In New Hampshire, Republicans succeeded in rolling back fees that went up during the recession. Florida’s Republican governor, Rick Scott, wants to do the same, at least for certain vehicle-related fees. Meanwhile, a wider effort from California to West Virginia is aimed at changing both language and legalities so that “fees” and “taxes” are treated as one and the same.

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