Susan Shelley: California taxpayers get fleeced by fraudsters and politicians

California residents pay very high taxes as the evidence piles up that an insane amount of the money is stolen by fraudsters. 

For 2025, even single filers with a taxable income of less than $11,079 owe 1% of their income to the state. Then it’s 2% for those who have earned up to $26,264, 4% up to $41,452, 6% up to $57,542, and 8% up to $72,724. Why does California have a soak-the-rich state tax rate on an income that is too low to qualify for a mortgage to buy a median-priced house?

And it just gets worse from there.