Amazon is the largest property taxpayer and private employer in Seattle. Since 2000, the metro area has added nearly 100,000 new jobs, leading to an influx of high-skilled workers and a thriving tech industry. But some residents and local officials believe Amazon’s growth has been the catalyst for several problems, including affordable housing and homelessness […]
After the well at Aliso Canyon was sealed, the state of California prohibited Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) from filling the storage facility, a series of underground caverns made of depleted former oil wells, to capacity. SoCalGas also may not draw gas from Aliso Canyon unless other options have been exhausted. The result is that California […]
California’s corporate tax base may increase by up to 12 percent as a result of federal tax reform legislation, according to a study recently released by the State Tax Research Center. This means that revenues from California’s corporate income tax could increase by as much as $1.3 billion – without any action by state lawmakers […]
A survey of business executives in highly sought after industries such as clean tech and research & development conclude that California has a number of problems that prevent businesses from locating or expanding in the state. The Pacific Research Institute survey discovered that housing and real estate costs, a poor quality education system, and taxes […]
The amount of income subject to corporate taxes on the state level will increase by 12% because of the federal-tax overhaul, which removed or limited tax breaks, according to a business-backed study. When the top federal corporate-tax rate was 35%, state corporate-tax rates ranging from 3% to 12% were relatively insignificant for many big companies. […]
Business executives, including those in clean tech, R&D, manufacturing, and other industries highly coveted by California public officials, say the high costs of housing and real estate, poor quality education system, and expensive costs to do business are among the primary reasons why they are not locating or expanding in the Golden State. These are […]
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) heralded the most significant changes to our federal tax system in over thirty years, affecting both individual and corporate income taxes. The corporate tax changes to a large degree reflected a realization that our federal corporate income tax system was in need of fundamental reform. Our combined federal and […]
Each year, I author the “Small Business Policy Index” for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. The index ranks the states according to assorted policy and policy-related indicators, including taxes, regulations, government spending and debt, as well as a few measures of governmental performance. But make no mistake, the big governmental burdens for entrepreneurs and […]
The City of San Francisco has more than 153 blocks with conditions so unsanitary that they rate close to the worst slums in India, Brazil or Kenya, a new report has found. NBC Bay Area studied a 10-mile swath of downtown San Francisco, including tourist attractions like Union Square and several of the city’s biggest […]
For many years, more people have been leaving California for other states than have been moving here. According to data from the American Community Survey, from 2007 to 2016, about 5 million people moved to California from other states, while about 6 million left California. On net, the state lost 1 million residents to domestic […]
SBE Council President and CEO Karen Kerrigan said: “Fortunately for entrepreneurs and small businesses, the policy environment in terms of taxes and regulations has improved at the federal level over the past year. There is a concerted effort and real action to reduce tax and regulatory burdens on small businesses and entrepreneurs, which has improved […]
The report from the League of California Cities includes a section entitled “What Cities Can Do Today.” This section merits a read between the lines: . . . 2 – “Consider local ballot measures to enhance revenues: Some cities have been successful in passing a measure to increase revenues. Others have been unsuccessful. Given that […]
California’s plan to shield residents from a tax hike under President Trump’s tax plan is likely to fail, said seven former high-ranking Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department officials. The proposal, passed by the state Senate last month, is seen as a test case for blue states trying to help their taxpayers avoid a giant […]
A startling new study led by UC Davis, however, says the fertilizer in farm soils is a major contributor to smog in California. In a study published Wednesday in the research journal Science Advances, a team led by UC Davis says agricultural soils contribute 25 to 41 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions in California. Natural […]
If you’re still steaming about L.A.’s new trash system – which so far has resulted in poorer service and much higher costs – just wait. The state is hitting businesses with a different plan next year: A new recycling mandate that calls on businesses to sort food waste and landscape trimmings from the rest of […]