The 2026-27 Budget: California Competes Extension

Mar 18, 2026 - Namely, those tax credits could have been awarded to another applicant who would have been more likely to achieve their milestones. However, as we discuss next, this has not been the case in the last few years of the program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5162

The 2025-26 Budget: Update on Implementation of New Firearm and Ammunition Tax

Feb 19, 2025 - Additionally, Chapter  231 requires DOJ provide CDTFA with the names and business locations of all firearm dealers, firearm manufacturers, and ammunition vendors at least quarterly to administer the tax.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4970

The 2025-26 Budget: California’s Film Tax Credit

Feb 28, 2025 - Two notable events account for the volatility seen in Figure  3, namely COVID ‑19 and the 2023 SAG ‑AFTRA and Writer ’s Guild of America strikes, which coincide with the sharp decreases observed in 2020 and 2023 respectively.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5000

The 2025-26 Budget: Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

Mar 18, 2025 - California Competes grants address a valid limitation of the tax credit, namely that some competitive investments in the state may be lost due to an applicant ’s lack of tax liability. Businesses that cannot utilize nonrefundable tax credits, but are candidates for a grant, typically fall into one of two categories.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5018

An Update on California’s Cash Management Situation

Aug 31, 2020 - Agency Cash Versus Controller ’s Cash The state ’s main tax revenue agencies (namely, the Franchise Tax Board and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration) collect tax payments and then transmit those payments to the State Controller ’s Office.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4266

The 2017-18 Budget: An Overview of the Governor's Proposition 56 Proposals

Feb 22, 2017 - As noted in Figure  2, Proposition  56 directs that its revenues “shall not be used to supplant existing state general funds for these same purposes, ” namely, state Medi ‑Cal payments. The Governor ’s proposal takes a literal view of this text.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3573

Improving California’s Unemployment Insurance Program

Aug 8, 2022 - For each employer in the last 18 months, workers must report: employer name, address, and telephone number; start date and end date; whether paid weekly, bi ‑weekly, or monthly; total wages paid; and hours worked per week.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4615

Volatility of California’s Personal Income Tax Structure

Sep 28, 2017 - As the name suggests, above the line deductions are calculated above the line on the federal tax form that separates the section where AGI is determined from the section where taxable income and tax liability are determined.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3703

Review of the California Competes Tax Credit

Oct 31, 2017 - The very name of this program —California Competes —evokes its goal: to help California compete against other states and countries to convince businesses to locate, stay, and expand here. Unfortunately, GO ‑Biz has negotiated about one ‑third of its tax credit agreements with California businesses that compete primarily against other California businesses.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3709

How High? Adjusting California’s Cannabis Taxes

Dec 17, 2019 - We recommend that the Legislature replace the state ’s existing cannabis taxes with a tax designed to reduce harmful cannabis use more effectively —namely , a potency ‑based tax or tiered ad valorem tax.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4125