The 2020-21 Budget: Structuring the Budget

Feb 10, 2020 - Managed Care Organization (MCO) Tax Approved. After enacting the 2019 ‑ 20 b udget in June, the Legislature reauthorized the MCO tax in September. The MCO tax generates General Fund benefit by taxing enrollment in MCOs and using that revenue to offset General Fund costs in Medi ‑Cal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4150

The 2020-21 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2020 - Recently, corporation tax collections have grown faster than anticipated while personal income tax collections have grown somewhat slower. The administration assumes that this pattern will continue. This is because they attribute the pattern to partnerships, which are taxed under the personal income tax, changing to corporations in response to 2017 federal tax changes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4135

Tempered Expectations

Dec 9, 2019 - General Fund reliance on the personal income tax —and thus on capital gains-related income taxes in particular —has increased. Consequently, from a fiscal standpoint, the state could see revenue shortfalls commensurate with or greater than past recessions, especially if it were accompanied by a stock market correction.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4122

The 2020-21 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook

Nov 20, 2019 - Importantly, this scenario assumes the federal government approves the managed care organization (MCO) tax and the state faces no major disasters over the next few years. (The MCO tax offsets General Fund costs in Medi ‑Cal but it requires federal approval.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4111

The 2019-20 Budget: Overview of the California Spending Plan (Final Version)

Oct 17, 2019 - The spending plan reauthorizes the MCO tax —for three and one ‑half years —under a broadly similar structure as the previous tax. As with the previous MCO tax, the reauthorized tax is a tiered, per ‑member, per month tax on the Medi ‑Cal and commercial enrollment of MCOs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4083

Managing California’s Cash

Sep 3, 2019 - As a state government, California has the power to levy taxes and cannot declare bankruptcy. These factors make the state a reliable borrower. Nonetheless, the state cannot access a credit market that is either unwilling or unable to lend to it.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4092

The Quiet Transformation in California’s Cash Management

Aug 29, 2019 - Corporations issue commercial paper to finance their receivables while many U.S. state and local governments —especially those with back-loaded revenue collections (such as California) —issue tax revenue anticipation notes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4091

Amid Good Fiscal Times, Planning for the Future Is Crucial

May 21, 2019 - The most immediate effect of IPOs on state tax revenues is in the personal income tax from wage withholding —in particular, from the newly public companies ’ vesting of their restricted stock units. Proposition  2, which establishes rules for mandatory reserve deposits, includes a provision that captures surging capital gains-related tax revenues.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4051

Amid Good Fiscal Times, Planning for the Future Is Crucial [Publication Details]

May 21, 2019 - Later, when the economy and tax receipts weaken, the state can draw upon its accumulated savings to fund a spending level above what revenues would otherwise support. Exercising spending restraint during good times promotes fiscal sustainability and dampens the need for austerity in subsequent recessions, thus, facilitating policy stability.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4051

The 2019-20 May Revision: Sales Tax Exemptions for Diapers and Menstrual Products [Publication Details]

May 12, 2019 - The 2019-20 May Revision: Sales Tax Exemptions for Diapers and Menstrual Products [Publication Details] The 2019-20 May Revision: Sales Tax Exemptions for Diapers and Menstrual Products Format: HTML Description: In the May Revision, the Governor has proposed two new sales tax exemptions that would go into effect on January 1, 2020 and expire on December 31, 2021: one for menstrual products and another for children’s diapers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4040