Comparing Taxes on Cannabis to Taxes on Other Products in California

Dec 17, 2019 - As shown in the figure, the typical total excise tax on a quarter-gram joint appears to be roughly similar to the typical total excise tax levied on three shots of liquor. In contrast, typical excise taxes on beer and wine appear to be much lower.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4123

The 2024-25 Budget: Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development

Feb 20, 2024 - GO-Biz Spending Proposals Do Not Clear High Bar. While both of these spending proposals could have some benefits, our assessment is that these benefits do not clear the high bar that should be set for new spending in the current fiscal environment.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4846

Evaluation of a Tax Exemption for Zero-Emission Buses

Apr 15, 2024 - Due to the state ’s budget condition, any ongoing fiscal commitments should clear a very high bar of need. Based on the considerations discussed in this post, we doubt that the ZEB exemption clears this bar.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4890

The 2018-19 Budget: California Hiring Tax Credits

Mar 15, 2018 - These include businesses that provide temporary help services, retail businesses, restaurants and bars, casinos, and certain entertainment businesses. Starting Wages Must Be at Least 50   Percent Above Minimum Wage.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3784

The 2022-23 Budget: Federal Tax Conformity for Federal Business Assistance

Jan 26, 2022 - The RRF program was created in March 2021 to make grants to eligible restaurants, caterers, and bars that experienced a decline in revenue during the pandemic. The RRF grants replace up to $10 million in lost revenues.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4501

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

Mar 18, 2025 - Due to the state ’s precarious budget condition, the bar for new spending outside of core responsibilities should be quite high. If the Legislature wants to expand support for commercial activities, other programs provide more promising opportunities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5018

The 2022-23 Budget: Fuel Price and Other Fiscal Relief Options

May 12, 2022 - Providing tax refunds to vehicle owners would be less directly linked to fuel consumption, but would provide some related relief given that these individuals likely drive to some degree. Providing rebates to zero ‑emission vehicle owners (as included in the Governor ’s proposal), however, would not have any link to gas price  burden.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4597

The 2026-27 Budget: CDTFA’s Cannabis and Tobacco Programs

Feb 23, 2026 - In the case of the Cannabis Tax Program, we note: The administration has not presented any arguments linking the General Fund ’s share of costs to its share of indirect benefits. This is not part of a broad, systematic effort to allocate costs based on indirect benefits.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5132

Tax Credit Expansions in the American Rescue Plan

Apr 13, 2021 - We also discuss changes to the dependent care exclusion which is linked to the child care credit. These changes are for tax year 2021 only except where otherwise noted. (We refer to the prior provisions of these tax credits as “prior law. ” Because the new provisions are scheduled to only be in effect in 2021 in most cases, we anticipate the provisions to revert to prior law starting in 2022.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4410

Volatility of California’s Personal Income Tax Structure

Sep 28, 2017 - This pattern seems likely to continue barring a fundamental shift in the economy. Upper ‑income filers get a disproportionate amount of their income from business profits and capital gains, which are especially volatile.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3703