Existing law prescribes the procedures by which a proposed ordinance may be submitted to the governing board of a district by an initiative measure. These procedures do not apply to specified districts, including a district formed under a law that does not provide a procedure for elections. This bill would authorize the voters of any district that has authority to impose a transactions and use tax for transportation purposes to impose a retail transactions and use tax by an initiative measure. The bill would prohibit the initiative tax from exceeding the maximum authorized rate for a tax imposed by an ordinance enacted by the governing body of the district, and the bill would require the initiative measure to contain all spending limitations and substantive accountability standards applicable to a tax imposed by an ordinance enacted by the governing body. To the extent the bill would increase the duties of county elections officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing state sales and use tax laws impose a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. The Sales and Use Tax Law provides various exemptions from those taxes. This bill, on and after July 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2031, would exempt from those taxes the gross receipts from the sale in this state of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, firefighting apparatus, equipment, or specialized vehicles, as defined, purchased by a fire department, including an all-volunteer fire department, as defined, or a fire protection district. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing laws authorize districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are automatically incorporated into the local tax laws. This bill would provide that the exemption created by the bill does not apply to local sales and use taxes or transactions and use taxes. Existing law imposes or dedicates certain state sales and use tax rates for local funding, including through the Local Revenue Fund 2011. This bill would provide that the exemption created by the bill does not apply to those state sales and use tax rates imposed or dedicated for local government funding, including those rates for which revenues are deposited into the Local Revenue Fund 2011. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. Existing law, the Sales and Use Tax Law, imposes a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing laws authorize districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are automatically incorporated into the local tax laws. Existing law imposes or dedicates certain state sales and use tax rates for local funding, including through the Local Revenue Fund 2011. Existing law provides various exemptions from the taxes imposed by the Sales and Use Tax Law, including, until July 1, 2030, a partial exemption for the sale of, and the storage, use, or other consumption of, qualified tangible personal property, as defined, purchased by a qualified person, as defined, for purchases not exceeding $200,000,000, primarily used for specified purposes, including manufacturing, recycling, and research and development. Existing sales and use tax law provides that the Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law, the Transactions and Use Tax Law, and those laws imposing certain sales and use tax rates for local funding do not apply to the above-described exemption, thereby subjecting the sale, or the storage, use, or other consumption in this state, of tangible personal property, otherwise exempt from taxation under these provisions, to local sales and use taxes, transactions and use taxes, and state sales and use taxes imposed for local funding. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2031, allow a credit against the taxes imposed by the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law to a taxpayer in an amount equal to the amount of sales tax reimbursement paid by the taxpayer to a retailer for the purchase of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or the amount of use tax paid by the taxpayer on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer, that would have been exempt from taxation pursuant to the above-described exemption, but for the application of local sales and use taxes and transactions and use taxes, or the imposition of certain sales and use tax rates for local funding, as specified. The bill would authorize the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to provide specified information to the Franchise Tax Board to assist in the administration of the credit, and would apply existing restrictions to the sharing of that information, the violation of which is a crime. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require, on or before May 14, 2026, and annually thereafter, the Department of Finance to provide to the legislative budget committees an estimate of the amount of revenue that would not be realized if the credits described above were allowed for that taxable year and would provide that those credits are allowed only for taxable years for which the Legislature appropriates money in the Budget Act for the administration of those credits. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing sales and use tax laws, among other things, impose a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from their sales of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state. The Sales and Use Tax Law makes certain sellers of tangible personal property consumers, and not retailers, of the tangible personal property they sell, including, until January 1, 2026, an all-volunteer fire department, as defined, if the profits are used solely and exclusively in furtherance of the purposes of the all-volunteer fire department, as prescribed. This bill would extend the sunset described above until January 1, 2031. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. The bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing laws authorize districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are automatically incorporated into the local tax laws. Existing law requires the state to reimburse counties and cities for revenue losses caused by the enactment of sales and use tax exemptions. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse any local agencies for sales and use tax revenues lost by them pursuant to this bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law authorizes various local governmental entities, subject to certain limitations and approval requirements, to levy a transactions and use tax for general or specific purposes, 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 any county not exceed 2%. This bill would authorize the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, by an ordinance adopted by the council, to levy a tax pursuant to the Transactions and Use Tax Law at a rate not to exceed 1%, for general and special purposes, subject to voter approval on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2032. The bill would authorize the board to exceed the 2% limit described above to impose the retail transactions and use tax. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of San Luis Obispo.
