On 5/18/2013 9:32 AM, Liberal Here wrote:
> Yet no one outside of the state is hearing how the state is turning
> around.
Here's why folks continue to stream out of it in an unending migration
to prosperity elsewhere:
http://www.caltax.org/research/calrank.html
California is a high-tax state, with some of the steepest sales tax,
personal income tax and corporate tax rates in the nation.
For businesses seeking to create jobs for Californians by locating or
expanding in the state, taxes can be a major obstacle. California has
the third-worst state business tax climate in the nation, according to
reports from the Tax Foundation, a national tax research organization
that tracks state taxes.
Here is how California compares to other states in terms of major taxes,
according to the Tax Foundation's March 2013 report, "Facts & Figures:
How Does Your State Compare?":
State Sales Tax: Highest in the Nation
California levies a 7.5 percent general sales and use tax on consumers,
which is the highest statewide rate in the nation. Local governments are
permitted to levy additional sales and use taxes, and the combined rate
of the additional local taxes should not exceed 2 percent. However, some
local governments have been given special dispensation to go above this
cap. Click here for the State Board of Equalization's detailed
description of the statewide sales and use tax rate, and here for
information on additional city and county sales tax rates.
Gasoline Tax: Highest in the Nation
California's combined local, state and federal gasoline taxes total 70.6
cents per gallon, the highest in the nation. (This includes the
3.5-cents-per-gallon increase approved in March 2013, effective July 1,
2013. State-by-state statistics are reported by the American Petroleum
Institute.)
Personal Income Tax: Highest in the Nation
California's personal income tax has the highest top rate and one of the
most highly progressive structures in the nation. After passage of
Proposition 30, California's top rate is 13.3 percent (including the 1
percent surcharge for mental health programs, for all personal income
taxpayers with taxable income over $1 million). Hawaii is second, with a
top rate of 11 percent. Most small businesses are S Corporations,
partnerships, or sole proprietorships, and pay their business taxes at
the rates for individuals, which makes California's taxes on small
businesses some of the most burdensome in the nation. Seven states do
not impose a personal income tax.
Corporate Income Tax: Highest in the West
"Corporations looking to relocate, or even establish, a business in the
West may shy away from California, as the state's 8.84 percent flat rate
is the highest corporate tax rate in the West," the Tax Foundation said
in 2011. Nothing has changed, as the group's 2013 State Business Tax
Climate Index report shows that other Western states still have much
lower corporate tax rates. Nationally, only eight states have a higher
top corporate tax rate than California (Alaska, Illinois, Iowa, Maine,
Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island).
Property Tax: High, Even Under Proposition 13
In its 2013 State Business Tax Climate Index, the Tax Foundation ranks
the 50 states on property tax collections per capita. As of July 1,
2012, property taxes in California were $1,458 per capita, ranked 15th
highest nationally. Without Proposition 13, the 1978 voter-approved
initiative that set limits on property taxes for California property
owners, the state likely would rank even worse.
Many California property owners also are required to pay costly parcel
taxes. These are annual property taxes (not based upon the value of the
property) imposed by many school districts, special districts and other
jurisdictions.