BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                      



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 40X1|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 40X1
          Author:   Fuentes (D) and Fletcher (R), et al.
          Amended:  9/8/11 in Assembly
          Vote:     27

           
           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  54-15, 9/8/11 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Taxation

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill makes various changes regarding the 
          apportionment of income, assignment of sales, and the 
          minimum franchise tax under the corporation tax; institutes 
          specified reductions in the tax rate applied to certain 
          income for purposes of the corporation tax and the personal 
          income tax; establishes a tax exemption for certain 
          purchases under the sales and use tax; and, sets up a 
          process to adjust the sales and use tax exemption amount 
          under certain conditions.  
                            
           ANALYSIS  :    

          This bill:

          1. Establishes mandatory Single Sales Factor income 
             apportionment for purposes of California's corporation 
             tax.  Corporations that have income attributable to 
             sources both inside and outside of California are 
             required to divide or apportion this income to 
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             California and other jurisdictions based on prescribed 
             formulas.  

             A.    California has two principal methods of 
                apportioning income for corporation tax purposes:  

                (1)      Single Sales Factor apportionment requires a 
                   corporation to compute its California income by 
                   multiplying its total income everywhere by the 
                   proportion California sales are of total sales.

                (2)      Four Factor apportionment requires a 
                   corporation to compute the proportion California 
                   sales, property and payroll are of total sales, 
                   property and payroll, respectively.  The 
                   arithmetic average of the factors (with the sales 
                   factor weighted twice) is then multiplied by the 
                   corporation's total income to arrive at California 
                   income.  Certain corporations with most of their 
                   business receipts from agricultural, extractive, 
                   savings and loan, banking and financial activities 
                   must use a Three Factor formula based on sales 
                   (weighted once), property and payroll.  

             B.    Under current law, for tax years beginning January 
                1, 2011, apportioning corporations (except the 
                specific industries noted above) are allowed to 
                annually elect Single Sales Factor apportionment or, 
                alternatively, remain on the Four Factor 
                apportionment formula; and

             C.    The statutory change in this bill would eliminate 
                the option of remaining on the Four Factor formula 
                and require all corporations (except for the specific 
                industries noted above and those electing to use the 
                Four Factor formula, as set forth below), to use 
                Single Sales Factor apportionment for tax years 
                beginning on and after January 1, 2012.  An election 
                to use the Four Factor formula would only be 
                available if it would result in a greater amount of 
                before-credit tax than would the Single Sales Factor 
                method.  This provision would result in revenue gains 
                of $460 million in 2011-12, $926 million in 2012-13 
                and $1.0 billion in 2013-14.  

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          2. Changes the manner in which sales are assigned for 
             purposes of the corporation tax.  Apportioning 
             corporations are required to assign sales to California 
             and to other jurisdictions based on specified criteria.  


             A.    Under current law, corporations that use Single 
                Sales Factor apportionment must assign sales of 
                services and intangibles to California based on where 
                the benefits of the service were received or the 
                property was used or accepted (market rule).  
                Corporations which do not elect or are not eligible 
                to elect Single Sales Factor under the corporation 
                tax for purposes of income apportionment, must assign 
                sales of services and intangibles based on "cost of 
                performance."  In other words, corporations that 
                remain on the Three Factor formula or Four Factor 
                formula would assign sales of services and 
                intangibles to California if the income-producing 
                activity is performed in this state or, in cases 
                where the income-producing activity occurs both in 
                and outside of California, if a greater proportion of 
                the income producing activity is produced in 
                California than in any other state, based on cost of 
                performance.

             B.    This bill establishes that all taxpayers use the 
                market rule for the assignment of sales of services 
                and intangibles for tax years beginning on or after 
                January 1, 2012.  This bill allows cable or network 
                services companies under the Single Sales Factor, and 
                with minimum qualified expenditures for the taxable 
                year of at least $250 million (such as tangible 
                property or payroll services), to assign only 50% of 
                their sales to California of what would otherwise be 
                assigned under the market rule.  This provision would 
                result in revenue reductions of $15 million in 
                2011-12, $32 million in 2012-13, and $36 million in 
                2013-14.  

          3. Specifies that a corporation tax rate of 8.34 percent 
             would apply to the first $50,000 and the current rate of 
             8.84 percent would apply to income above this threshold. 

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              The reduction would not apply to corporations whose 
             income and apportionment factor data are required to be 
             included in a combine report, such as large multistate 
             and multinational corporations.  (Combined reporting is 
             required of multistate companies and groups of 
             affiliated corporation that operate as one integrated 
             business, and results in treating the operation as a 
             single taxpayer.)  This provision is estimated to result 
             in revenue losses of $9 million in 2011-12, $18 million 
             in 2012-13, and $20 million in 2013-14.  

          4. Reduces the minimum franchise tax under the corporation 
             tax from the current level of $800 to $750 annually for 
             tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2012.  The 
             minimum franchise tax is paid by all corporations with 
             an otherwise computed corporation tax liability of less 
             than this amount.  This provision is estimated to result 
             in revenue losses of $28 million in 2011-12, $59 million 
             in 2012-13, and $67 million in 2013-14.  

          5. Excludes from personal income for tax purposes an amount 
             equal to 10 percent of up to $50,000 of the business 
             income of a taxpayer for tax years beginning on or after 
             January 1, 2012.  Thus, the maximum amount that could be 
             excluded under this provision is $5,000.  Business 
             income is income of a taxpayer from a trade or business 
             whether conducted by the taxpayer or by a passthrough 
             identity in which the taxpayer is a shareholder.  This 
             provision is estimated to result in revenue losses of 
             $149 million in 2011-12, $255 million in 2012-13, and 
             $269 million in 2013-14.  

          6. Increases the standard deduction for taxpayers who do 
             not itemize deductions under the personal income tax.  
             This bill increases the standard deduction by $1,000 for 
             single filers and $2,000 for joint filers for tax years 
             beginning on and after January 1, 2012.  Thus, the 
             amount of the standard deduction would rise to 
             approximately $4,780 for single filers and $8,540 for 
             joint filers.  (The standard deduction is annually 
             computed based on changes in the cost of living and 2012 
             levels have not yet been established.)  This provision 
             is estimated to result in revenue losses of $180 million 
             in 2011-12, $306 million in 2012-13, and $317 million in 

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             2013-14.  

          7. Establishes a partial exemption from the sales and use 
             tax for purchases of manufacturing equipment beginning 
             March 1, 2012.  Current law levies a sales and use tax 
             on tangible personal property purchased or used in the 
             state, unless the property is specifically exempted.  
             Tangible personal property subject to taxation includes 
             items of capital equipment used in the manufacturing 
             process.  The sales and use tax is composed of rates 
             that generate revenues for the state General Fund and 
             realignment, various special funds, and local 
             government.  Currently, the rates are:  state 5%; 
             special funds 1%; local government 1%; fiscal recovery 
             bonds 0.25%.  In addition to this composite statewide 
             rate of 7.25 percent, local governments may have various 
             add-on rates.  

             A.    Under the proposal, the purchase of manufacturing 
                equipment would be exempted from a portion of the 
                application of the state sales tax.  In general, 
                manufacturing firms would be eligible for a 1 percent 
                exemption from state sales and use tax on equipment 
                purchases. Start-up firms would be eligible for a 
                3.94 percent exemption from the state portion of the 
                sales and use tax.  Start-up firms are defined as 
                firms conducting activities in the state for three or 
                fewer years, after accounting for acquisitions and 
                changes in business structure;  

             B.    The exemption would be available to manufacturing 
                firms and software publishers.  Qualified businesses 
                are those in manufacturing industries such as food 
                and beverage; textiles and apparel; wood and paper 
                products; chemicals, plastics and rubber; metal 
                fabrication and machinery; transportation and 
                related, and computer, electronics and software.  The 
                exemption is available only to corporations that 
                which are allowed to elect single sales factor for 
                purposes of income apportionment. 

             C.    Equipment that would qualify for the exemption 
                includes equipment when used primarily (50 percent or 
                more):  

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                (1)      In any stage of manufacturing, processing, 
                   refining, fabricating, or recycling of any 
                   tangible personal property;  

                (2)      For research and development;  

                (3)      To maintain, repair, measure or test 
                   tangible personal property; and,  

                (4)      In the performance of construction conducted 
                   in connection with manufacturing or research and 
                   development.  

                (5)      The tax exemption would result in revenue 
                   reductions of $91 million in 2011-12, $299 million 
                   in 2012-13, and $323 million in 2013-14.  

          8. Directs the Franchise Tax Board and the Board of 
             Equalization to report to the Department of Finance 
             (DOF) whether the bill resulted in a revenue change 
             during the 2012-13 fiscal year relative to the amount of 
             revenue that would have been raised absent the enactment 
             of the bill.  The Director of DOF would adjust the 
             general sales and use tax exemption in a manner that 
             would result in no gain or loss in state tax revenue in 
             2015-16 due to this act.  

           Comments  

           Purpose of the bill .  This bill is one of Governor Brown's 
          "California Jobs First plan" intended to create jobs in 
          this state.  The Governor stated: "Boosting job growth in 
          California is a top priority, and this proposal is a 
          critical step in making sure the state does everything it 
          can to support local job creation,? Our state has added 
          116,000 jobs since January, but we must do more to build 
          economic momentum.  This legislation would expand a 
          currently existing job credit to make it more effective 
          while adding new tax incentives for growth in the 
          manufacturing sector."

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes   
          Local:  No

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          The net impact of all the provisions of the bill would be a 
          reduction in revenues in each of the next three years of 
          $12 million in 2011-12, $44 million in 2012-13, and $31 
          million in 2013-14.  Total revenue losses over the 
          three-year period are estimated to be $87 million.

          According to the Department of Finance, AB 40X1 would have 
          the following revenue impact:


           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |             Revenue Impact of Jobs Proposal -              |
          |  all Provisions Operative for 1/1/12 except SUT equipment  |
          |                        exemption                           |
          |                   (Dollars in Millions)                    |
           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |--------------------------------+------+------+------+-----|
          |                                |2011-1|2012-1|2013-1|3-yea|
          |                                |  2   |  3   |  4   |  r  |
          |                                |      |      |      |total|
          |                                |      |      |      |     |
          |--------------------------------+------+------+------+-----|
          |8.34% Corporate tax rate for    |   -$9|  -$18|  -$20| -$46|
          |the first $50,000 of SNI - No   |      |      |      |     |
          |lower rate for combined report  |      |      |      |     |
          |returns                         |      |      |      |     |
          |--------------------------------+------+------+------+-----|
          |PIT 10% exemption of first      | -$149| -$255| -$269|-$673|
          |$50,000 of positive business    |      |      |      |     |
          |income                          |      |      |      |     |
          |--------------------------------+------+------+------+-----|
          |Decrease Minimum Tax from $800  |  -$28|  -$59|  -$67|-$154|
          |to $750                         |      |      |      |     |
          |--------------------------------+------+------+------+-----|
          |Increase Standard Deduction by  | -$180| -$306| -$317|-$804|
          |27%                             |      |      |      |     |
          |--------------------------------+------+------+------+-----|
          |Mandatory SSF - with Cable      |  $445|  $894|  $964|$2,30|
          |Carve out and option to use     |      |      |      |    3|
          |double-weighting if it results  |      |      |      |     |
          |in higher tax                   |      |      |      |     |
          |--------------------------------+------+------+------+-----|
          |SUT manufacturer's equipment    |  -$91| -$299| -$323|-$713|

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          |exemption 1% (3.9735% for       |      |      |      |     |
          |start-ups), operative 3/1/12    |      |      |      |     |
          |--------------------------------+------+------+------+-----|
          |Total                           |  -$12|  -$44|  -$31|-$87 |
          |                                |      |      |      |     |
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           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  9/9/11)

          QUALCOMM


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 54-15, 9/8/11
          AYES:  Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Block, 
            Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, 
            Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Carter, Cedillo, 
            Chesbro, Davis, Dickinson, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, 
            Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Gatto, Gordon, Hall, 
            Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, 
            Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning, 
            Pan, Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino, Skinner, Smyth, 
            Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, 
            John A. P�rez
          NOES:  Achadjian, Bill Berryhill, Conway, Cook, Donnelly, 
            Grove, Halderman, Harkey, Jones, Knight, Logue, Morrell, 
            Nielsen, Norby, Silva
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Beth Gaines, Garrick, Gorell, Hagman, 
            Jeffries, Mansoor, Miller, Nestande, Olsen, Valadao, 
            Wagner


          DLW:mw  9/9/11   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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