[Source: Fox & Hounds] Californians now pay as much as $1.00 more per gallon of fuel than the rest of the country. Shouldn’t the motoring public know why? A bill in the California Legislature to do just that was Senate Bill 1074, by state Sen. John Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa. Called “Disclosure of government-imposed costs,” it Read More…
Tag: taxes
Another small business says ‘adios’ to California – mine
[Source: Fox & Hounds] If I’m known for anything in California, it’s been for my studies about companies leaving the state because of its punishing tax and regulatory policies. Sadly, new political antics will likely cause my future reports to reflect further deterioration in the state’s business climate. I say that because a new California Read More…
California lacks a job-friendly economic policy
[Source: Orange County Register] Amazon’s second headquarters, a shiny object dangled in front of revenue-hungry government officials across the country, appears to be headed for someplace other than California. The project known as “HQ2” is likely to land in northern Virginia, some observers believe, where Amazon recently located the headquarters of its cloud business a Read More…
Federal tax reform means more business taxes for California
[Source: Fox and Hounds Daily/Loren Kaye] California’s corporate tax base may increase by up to 12 percent as a result of federal tax reform legislation, according to a study recently released by the StateTax Research Center. This means that revenues from California’s corporate income tax could increase by as much as $1.3 billion – without any Read More…
If California’s the future, why are so many leaving?
[Source: Curbed / American real estate blog] California, many say, is the future. A center for creative industries and new technology—look at its impressive rollout of electric vehicles and autonomous cars—it’s also a diverse state, pushing progressive policies that could be models for the rest of the country. And people are leaving in droves for Read More…
Many big cities don’t have enough money to pay their bill
[Source: The Press Enterprise] An analysis of the fiscal health of the 75 most populated cities in the country found that the vast majority don’t have enough money to pay for their bills, including many in California. A new report by transparency group Truth in Accounting found that 64 of the 75 cities owed more Read More…
The state of the U.S. solar industry: 5 questions answered
[Source: PBS/SoCal News] On Jan. 22, 2018, the Trump administration announced plans to impose punitive duties on solar panels imported from abroad. This decision came in response to a complaint filed by two solar companies, but much of the industry opposes the action, which trade groups say will increase the cost of solar projects and depress demand. Read More…
Pension costs are threatening public services all over California
[Source: Sacramento Bee] California is great at making pension promises, but a dismal failure at properly funding them. The most recent annual report released by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System shows that, as of June 2016, CalPERS was more than $138 billion in debt. The teachers’ retirement system (CalSTRS) is nearly as bad, with Read More…
Split roll proposal bad for jobs and the economy
[Source: Fox & Hounds] The California League of Women Voters and other advocates of a split-roll property tax system filed an initiative December 15 that would increase property taxes on California employers by an estimated $11.4 billion per year. A tax increase of this size will lead to higher consumer prices for goods and services Read More…