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Economy and Taxes Publications

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Handout

Hearing Concerning Propositions 30, 31, 38, and 39

August 8, 2012 - Presented to Senate Governance and Finance Committee, Hon. Lois Wolk, Chair

Letter

Letter to Senator Wolk on Evaluation of UCLA Film Credit Study

June 21, 2012 - Letter to Hon. Lois Wolk, Chair of Senate Governance and Finance Committee, providing an evaluation of the February 2012 report, "Economic and Production Impacts of the 2009 California Film and Television Tax Credit."

Handout

California's Property Tax

April 11, 2012 - Presented to San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association

Handout

California's Property Tax

March 12, 2012 - Presented to Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee, Hon. Henry T. Perea, Chair

Report

The 2012-13 Budget: California’s Fiscal Outlook

November 16, 2011 - We forecast that General Fund revenues and transfers in 2011-12 will be $3.7 billion below the level assumed in the June budget package. Such a shortfall could result in $2 billion of “trigger cuts” to various programs—including all of the “Tier 1” trigger cuts and three-fourths of the “Tier 2” cuts. (The Director of Finance will determine the actual amount of such cuts next month.) In 2011-12, we project that the state will have a $3 billion deficit, including the effects of these trigger cuts. In 2012-13, the state will face higher costs due to expiration of a number of temporary budget measures, an increase in Proposition 98 school costs under current law, the repayment of its Proposition 1A property tax loan, and other factors. We project a $10 billion operating shortfall (the difference between annual revenues and expenditures) in 2012-13. The $3 billion “carry-in” deficit from 2011-12 and the projected $10 billion operating shortfall mean that the Legislature and the Governor will need to address a $13 billion budget problem between now and the time that the state adopts a 2012-13 budget plan.

Letter

Letter to Senator Wolk and Assembly Member Perea Regarding the CDFI Tax Credit Programs

April 14, 2011 - This letter is a statutorily-required analysis of the community development financial institution (CDFI) tax credit programs.

Handout

California's Use Tax

February 28, 2011 - Presented to Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee

Handout

California's Enterprise Zone Programs

February 16, 2011 - Presented to Senate Governance and Finance Committee

Handout

California's Enterprise Zone Programs

February 7, 2011 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration and Revenue and Taxation

Presentation

Perspectives on the State's Tax Structure

February 3, 2011 - Presented to the Senate Select Committee on Recovery, Reform, and Realignment. February 2, 2011.

Report

The 2011-12 Budget: The Administration's Revenue Accrual Approach

January 31, 2011 - For four of its budget proposals, the administration uses a new approach for accruing (attributing) revenues to each fiscal year. In the administration's budget figures, this approach increases revenues available for the 2011-12 budget process by over $700 million and decreases the 2011-12 minimum funding guarantee for schools and community colleges by $1.5 billion below what it would have been otherwise. We find that the administration's new accrual approach—while imperfectly executed in its forecast—has some merit. It would move state budget accounting closer—in some respects—to generally accepted accounting principles. We fault the administration for not describing the new approach and its implications more clearly in its public budget documents and recommend that the Legislature take steps to require more transparency in the future.

Letter

Single Sales Factor: Letter to Senator de León

January 6, 2011 - This responds to Senator de León's request for additional information on the single sales factor apportionment.

Report

California’s Fiscal Outlook: The 2011-12 Budget

November 10, 2010 - Our forecast of California’s General Fund revenues and expenditures shows that the state must address a budget problem of $25.4 billion between now and the time the Legislature enacts a 2011‑12 state budget plan. The budget problem consists of a $6 billion projected deficit for 2010‑11 and a $19 billion gap between projected revenues and spending in 2011‑12. Similar to our forecast of one year ago, we project annual budget problems of about $20 billion each year through 2015‑16. We continue to recommend that the Legislature initiate a multiyear approach to solving California’s recurring structural budget deficit. In 2011‑12, such an approach might involve $10 billion of permanent revenue and expenditure actions and $15 billion of temporary budget solutions. In 2012‑13, 2013‑14, and 2014‑15, another few billion of permanent actions each year could be initiated, along with other temporary budget solutions, and so on until the structural deficit was eliminated.

Handout

Overview of Proposition 26

September 29, 2010 - Presented to Joint Hearing of Senate and Assembly Committees on Revenue and Taxation

Letter

Preliminary Analysis of the 2011-12 Budget Conference Committee Tax Swap Proposal

August 12, 2010 - At the August 11, 2010 informational hearing of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee we discussed our preliminary analysis of the conference committee tax swap proposal. This responds to Senator Wolk's request that we provide further information on our analysis.

Economy and Taxes Staff
Chas Alamo
(916) 319-8357
Personal Income Tax, Employment, and Labor Law
 
Ross Brown
(916) 319-8345
Property Taxes, Bonds, and the Economy
 
Ann Hollingshead
(916) 319-8305
State Budget and Federal Funding
 
Lourdes Morales
(916) 319-8320
Local Government, Housing, and Homelessness
 
Nick Schroeder
(916) 319-8314
Public Employment, CalPERS, and Elections
 
Angela Short
(916) 319-8309
Teachers' Retirement Policy/ Child Welfare/ Community Care Licensing
 
Brian Uhler
(916) 319-8328
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Economy, Taxes, and Labor
 
Seth Kerstein
(916) 319-8365
Sales and Excise Taxes and Demographics