Job Killer Would Have Increased Costs for Businesses and Consumers
Contact: Denise Davis
SACRAMENTO, CA – An opposition effort headed by the California Chamber of Commerce has successfully killed a legislative proposal that would have allowed school districts to create a split roll at the local level with regard to parcel taxes.
“The Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee did the right thing by rejecting an unfair, discriminatory split roll bill that would have raised rents and costs for all businesses, especially small businesses,” said Allan Zaremberg, President and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce. “The committee turned back an assault on California’s historic commitment to uniformity and fairness in property taxation.”
“Policy makers understood the flaws in this proposal and its potential to kill jobs,” said Jennifer Barrera, California Chamber of Commerce, Policy Advocate. “The increased costs faced by commercial property owners under SB 1021 (Wolk) would have been passed along to consumers or resulted in hiring reductions or cuts to benefits for workers in local communities.”
SB 1021 (Wolk; D-Davis) sought to allow a school district to impose a parcel tax on property used for commercial purposes as opposed to residential properties. Similarly, the bill would have allowed a school district to impose a parcel tax solely on properties that exceed a certain square footage so as to only include commercial property and exclude residential property for higher tax rates.
SB 1021 sought to re-define the term “special taxes that apply uniformly” to mean special taxes that may be applied discriminatorily and unfairly.
The California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) is the largest broad-based business advocate to government in California. Membership represents one-quarter of the private sector jobs in California and includes firms of all sizes and companies from every industry within the state. Leveraging our front-line knowledge of laws and regulations, we provide products and services to help businesses comply with both federal and state law. CalChamber, a not-for-profit organization with roots dating to 1890, promotes international trade and investment in order to stimulate California’s economy and create jobs. Please visit our website at calchamber.com.
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