Category Archives: California

California Should Reevaluate Government

That’s the opinion of the Reason Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to “advanc[ing] a free society by developing, applying, and promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law.” In an article titled “California Won’t … Continue reading

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California Won’t Tax the Rebates

The tax rebates (aka the stimulus payments) that will be issued beginning in May won’t be taxed by California. The Franchise Tax Board announced this last week. The FTB notes (as has the IRS) that in order to claim the … Continue reading

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Are California Government Employees Overpaid?

An interesting question is whether California government employees are overpaid. We can now find out. Thanks to the Sacramento Bee we can now find out. The Bee has a searchable database of California government employees so we can now find … Continue reading

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What Sacramento’s Democrats Want

If you’re a California resident (and taxpayer), you may want to buy a padlock. A big padlock. That’s because Democratic legislative leaders have resolved that the only solution to the budget crisis is to increase taxes. Senate President Pro Tem, … Continue reading

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Watch Your Wallets Californians

What’s the difference between a tax hike and the elimination of a deduction? In politics, everything. For the taxpaying public, the impact is the same. We’re talking words or nomenclature. It appears that some legislators in Sacramento are considering eliminating … Continue reading

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The Gilbert Hyatt Case Inches Forward

Remember Gilbert Hyatt? Mr. Hyatt is the inventor who fled the Bronze Golden State seeking lower taxes. He filed a lawsuit against the Franchise Tax Board alleging that the FTB “…directed “numerous and continuous contacts … at Nevada” and committed … Continue reading

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$16 Billion and Growing

California’s budget deficit has grown another 10%, from $14.5 billion to $16 billion. Why? Because all sources of tax revenues are down: sales tax, personal income tax, and corporate income tax. This will be the year that our Legislature has … Continue reading

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States of Opportunity

Last Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal ran an excellent editorial titled “States of Opportunity.” “But one reason to conclude that taxes are also a motivator is because the eight states without an income tax are stealing talent from other states. … Continue reading

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Legislature Approves $1 Billion in Cuts; $13.5 Billion to Go

California’s legislature sent a $1 billion bipartisan package of budget cuts to Governor Schwarzenegger; the Governator signed the package yesterday. The budget cuts will come primarily from school funding and from Medi-Cal (California’s medical program for low income individuals). Yet … Continue reading

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California to Mandate Gender/Orientation Reporting for Non-Profits?

Apparently some of our legislators are unhappy with California’s low ranking as a place to do business. They’d like to make this just as bad a place for non-profits. AB624 would require foundations and non-profits in California to collect gender, … Continue reading

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