Today during the 2015 Cal Tax Annual Members meeting, I called for a meaningful public discourse on tax reform ideas that make life easier for taxpayers. Specifically, I suggested replacing California’s income tax with a sales tax on services.

As you may know, Senate Bill 8 (Hertzberg) seeks to extend California’s sales tax to services. As currently written, the bill amounts to nothing more than a massive tax increase that would just make California less competitive while adding thousands of state auditors and tax collectors to state payrolls.

Reform, by its definition, should not include growing government or making taxes more complicated.

Any shift to a broader reliance on sales tax must be combined with real tax reform that removes barriers to doing business in our state. That’s why I proposed eliminating California’s personal and corporate income tax and the Franchise Tax Board. One less tax agency would make California a far more attractive place for jobs, retirees, and investment.

If California eliminated income tax, more… Read More