BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                     AB 15


                     CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

               AB 15 (Klehs) - As Amended:  August 19, 1994

ASSEMBLY VOTE 77-0 ( May 13, 1993 ) SENATE VOTE 29-2 ( August 22, 1994 )  

Original Committee Reference:  REV. &  TAX.

DIGEST

Existing law:

1)  Provides that the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) administers the personal 
š     income tax and the bank and corporation franchise tax.  Also, the FTB 
    administers the homeowners and renters property tax assistance 
    programs. Administrative responsibility for income tax withholding is 
    delegated by the FTB to the Employment Development Department.  The 
    members of the FTB are the State Controller, the Director of Finance, 
    and the Chair of the Board of Equalization (BOE).

3)  The BOE administers the state's other major taxes.  Specifically, the 
š     board has responsibility for the state and local sales and use tax, 
    local transactions and use taxes, gasoline and other fuel taxes, the 
    alcoholic beverage tax, the insurance gross premiums tax, the cigarette 
    and tobacco products tax, hazardous waste taxes and fees, and other 
    limited taxes. The BOE also assesses the property of public utilities 
    and common carriers, and provides certain administrative and oversight 
    functions with respect to the local property tax.

    The BOE comprises four elected members, one from each equalization 
    district and the State Controller.  The board hears appeals relating to 
    all of the taxes it administers, as well as the taxes administered by 
    the FTB.

As passed by the Assembly, this bill: 

1)  Eliminated the FTB and assigned its present responsibilities to the BOE. 

2)  Specified that it would become operative on January 1, 1995.

The Senate amendments:

1)  Change the operative date to January 1, 1996.

2)  Require the BOE to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature on 
    the plan and progress of consolidation.

3)  Specifies that the civil service staff of the FTB shall be transferred 
š    to the BOE in accordance with existing law.

FISCAL EFFECT

State:  According to the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), "in the short 

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        run consolidation would probably require increases in state 
        expenditures." However, in the long run, the LAO believes that 
        "consolidation does offer opportunities for improvements in cost 
        effectiveness and productivity."

Local:  None

COMMENTS

1)  The bill is intended to achieve savings and administrative 
    simplification through combining the state's two major tax agencies 
    into a single, larger BOE.  The resulting combined agency would easily 
    be the largest tax agency among the states, second only in size to the 
    Internal Revenue Service.

2)  Proponents argue that a consolidated tax agency should be administered 
    by an elected body because they believe elected officials tend to be 
    more responsive to taxpayers than an appointed body. 

    On the other hand, the Legislative Analyst suggests that an executive 
    director appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Legislature 
    would offer "the most clear-cut chain of command and the best 
    opportunity for effective leadership in the area of tax policy." 

    However, SB 1829 (Campbell), pending in the Senate, created a 
    Department of Revenue under the Governor along with a Board of Tax 
    Appeals failed passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Similar 
    proposals, SB 87 (Kopp) and SCA 5 (Kopp) have also failed passage.

3)  Under the existing two tax agency system, personal income and bank and 
    corporation taxpayers who cannot resolve a tax issue with the FTB, can 
    appeal FTB's decision to the BOE.  This independent review of taxpayer 
    appeals by a separate tax authority has generally been considered a 
    benefit to taxpayers. 

    On the other hand, taxpayer disputes related to sales tax and other BOE 
    administered taxes are also appealed to the BOE.  Some have argued in 
    the past that having the BOE review its own staff decisions is not an 
    ideal appeals process.

    By placing the administration of the state's income taxes directly 
    under the jurisdiction of the BOE, this measure eliminates the current 
    system's separate review process for income tax appeals.  Should the 
    separate review process for income tax appeals be abolished?   If the 
    two tax boards are combined, should a separate appeals process for 
    sales and income tax disputes be established?


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