Riverside County Transportation Commission: transactions and use tax.

Existing law creates the Riverside County Transportation Commission with specified powers and duties relative to transportation planning and programming in Riverside County. Existing law authorizes the commission to impose a transactions and use tax for transportation purposes subject to approval of the voters, which, pursuant to the California Constitution, requires approval of 23 of the voters. Existing law requires that the tax be imposed in accordance with the procedures and requirements set forth in the Transactions and Use Tax Law, including a requirement that the combined rate of all taxes that may be imposed in accordance with that law in the county not exceed 2%. Existing law provides that the maximum tax rate that may be imposed by the commission for transportation purposes is 12 of 1%. This bill would authorize the commission to impose a maximum tax rate for transportation purposes of 1% instead of 12of 1%, subject to voter approval, and would specify that the tax rate imposed by the commission would not be considered for purposes of the combined rate limit. The bill would prohibit the commission from imposing a tax rate other than 1%, or 34, 12, or 14 of 1% unless specifically authorized by statute. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Riverside.