Daily Caller –

California Gov. Jerry Brown is prodding lawmakers to add a sizable tax on citizens drinking water in a bid to fix a beleaguered water system some citizens believe is poisoning poor people in rural areas.

The tax on drinking water, if passed, would be the first in California’s history. The money would go toward addressing drinking water tainted with arsenic and other contaminants in the San Joaquin Valley. Urban water agencies are trying to kill the bill, arguing the issue is confined to California’s rural areas.

Residents and businesses would pay a tax on their monthly water bills, while the average Californian would pay an additional $11.40 per year for drinking water. The agricultural industry would be forced to contribute through taxes on fertilizer purchases and fees paid by dairy farmers. Regulators have long argued California’s water is unsafe to drink.

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