CalTax

The agency agreed to pay minor penalties for not reporting campaign spending, to be paid with tax dollars. The individuals who authorized the use of public funds to campaign for a tax increase will not be penalized financially or otherwise.

"The website contains various statements that unambiguously urge support," the FPPC's stipulation notes. One statement "explicitly affirms that the FCTA has spent two years campaigning for the passage of Measure C."

Fresno County Transportation Authority illegally used tax dollars to campaign for a sales tax increase, @CA_FPPC finds. Included billboard and website "unambiguously urging support" for tax measure. (Voters rejected the tax increase.) fppc.ca.gov/siteassets/doc…

Another example of how taxes influence behavior, including employment decisions. nypost.com/2026/02/27/us-…

Another question from the PPIC poll:

Poll finds that a majority of Californians want lower taxes, consistent with past findings. (The question suggests that higher taxes go hand in hand with more services, and vice versa, but due to inefficiency, waste, etc, this is not necessarily the case.) ppic.org/publication/pp…

Jared Walczak: Over the past six decades, 14 European countries have imposed a broad tax on personal wealth. Most repealed them, citing capital flight, disappointing revenue, high administrative costs and revenue losses from other existing taxes. calmatters.org/commentary/202…

Learn all about the water's-edge tax policy: CalTax Foundation webinar tomorrow with Karl Frieden, VP of the Council on State Taxation (COST); Alan Pasetsky, owner of Tax Policy LLC; and CalTax President Robert Gutierrez. Register here: caltaxfoundation.org/webinar

The CalTax Foundation's Feb 17 webinar: “Water’s Edge: California’s Line in the Sand for Unitary Reporting,” with Karl Frieden, VP of the Council on State Taxation (COST); Alan Pasetsky, owner of Tax Policy LLC; and CalTax President Robert Gutierrez. caltaxfoundation.org/webinar

A must-read from Chris Micheli: Tax-increase proponents often claim that they are simply "closing a tax loophole." So, what exactly is a 'loophole' in the tax laws? californiaglobe.com/fr/what-is-a-l…

The California Tax Foundation explains the water's-edge tax policy that reformed the former policy that resulted in double-taxation and prompted retaliation from foreign trading partners: caltax.org/foundation/rep…

Britain and Japan were the most vocal critics, but Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and West Germany also objected. In 1985, the British Parliament passed legislation to retaliate against US businesses.

In 1984, a task force reported that 14 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, representing almost 90% of foreign direct investment in the US, blasted California’s system because of the double taxation.

Gov. Brown went to Japan in the '80s to recruit business investment in CA and returned with reports of Japanese officials complaining about the attempt to tax income beyond the state’s legal authority. The water's-edge tax reform stopped a trade war. pressenterprise.com/2026/02/09/rei…

/Some state lawmakers are threatening a tax hike that would renew a trade war with California’s international partners at the worst possible time. dailynews.com/2026/02/09/rei…

LA Times: CA quantum computing company moving HQ to Florida and opening new R&D facility. "The company is among businesses that have recently opened new offices or moved out of California, underscoring the competition the state faces to attract more jobs." latimes.com/business/story…

Another big tax hike proposed in CA: initiative seeks a 5% increase on high earners, which would bring the state's top personal income tax rate (already the highest in the US) to 18.3%, plus 1.3% in SDI tax on many forms of income. Hawaii is no. 2 at 11%. oag.ca.gov/system/files/i…

There's still time to register for tomorrow's California Tax Foundation webinar, featuring a panel of experts discussing the California wealth tax proposal. MCLE/CPE credits available. eventzilla.net/e/2026-caltax-…

The DC-based Tax Foundation's 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index says South Dakota has the second-best tax climate in the U.S. and California has the third-worst. taxfoundation.org/research/all/s…

CEO of crypto security company indicates that the California wealth tax proposal was a factor in the decision to move the company's HQ from Palo Alto to South Dakota last month. latimes.com/business/story…