Taxes
Blog
California’s New Software Tax Is Another Step Toward More Digital Taxes
Senate Bill 122 is projected to raise roughly $2 billion annual tax increase on the software businesses use to operate, and its costs will spread far beyond company software bills. Since software as a service supports nearly every part of the modern economy, businesses will have to absorb those higher ...
Blog
California cities turn to tax hikes to deal with overspending
Two years ago, 125 local tax measures appeared on ballots. Ninety, says the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, passed. A number of cities now have local sales taxes that exceed 10%. Several cities in “conservative” Orange County are likewise asking voters to approve various local tax increases. We won’t know until the deadline in August how ...
Blog
Despite Exorbitant Fees, LA28 Ticket Buying Experience Was Gold Medal Worthy
Recently, I felt like Charlie Bucket searching for the golden ticket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I “won” the lottery for the first draw opportunity to buy 2028 LA Olympic tickets. Much of what I read about the process online were complaints, primarily about pricing. A limited allotment ...
Business & Economics
With Tax Day around the corner, how are Trump’s tax policies impacting you?
April 15th is just around the corner. While we settle up our 2025 taxes, it is a good time to take stock of all the fiscal changes that have occurred. While some have been good, others were bad, and still others were simply ugly. The Good Starting with the good, ...
Blog
California Can’t Address Affordability Crisis Without Lowering Tax Burden
“(We need) someone who will bring prices down,” Rep. Eric Swalwell says. “Californians can’t afford to live in California,” says billionaire Tom Steyer. They’re both right, but they should look in the mirror for a culprit. Big government policies –including several they are promoting in their platforms – are driving ...
Blog
Another Tax That Backfired
Passed in 2022 by nearly 58% of Angeleno voters, Measure ULA initially imposes an additional 4% tax on the sales of any homes or commercial properties, not just mansions, valued at more than $5.3 million. The rate on sales of properties sold at more than $10.6 million rises to 5.5%. The dollars coming in are dedicated ...
Blog
Death by a Thousand Cuts: Andrew Gruel on the Cost of Regulations for California Restaurants
The challenge is not a single overwhelming regulation, it is accumulation. California layers rule upon rule, each one defensible on its own. Over time, those requirements reshape how restaurants hire, price, expand (or not), and compete. What appears manageable on paper becomes costly in practice. Restaurants are high-transaction, high-labor businesses. ...
Blog
Sanders, Wealth Tax Proponents Could Chase $30 Billion in Revenue Out of State
“The billionaire class no longer sees itself as part of American society,” said Sanders, a Vermont socialist and winner of the 2020 California Democratic presidential primary by 8 percentage points over eventual nominee and president Joe Biden. “They see themselves as something separate and apart, like the oligarchs of the 18th century, ...
Blog
Does California Need Billionaires?
If supporters are able to rack up 874 ,641 signatures, the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. Should it pass, it will levy “a one-time 5% tax on billionaire wealth.” Rather than waiting until voters make their decision, a few billionaires have already left California, including PayPal and ...
Blog
Tough Times Ahead for California in 2026
But he won’t be alone. Difficult times are ahead for all Californians. According to Indian government data, that country’s GDP has reached $4.18 trillion in U.S. dollars. By 2030, India’s GDP is projected to be $7.3 trillion. The most recent numbers from the International Monetary Fund, posted in April 2025, has California at $4.1 trillion. The UCLA Anderson School ...
California’s New Software Tax Is Another Step Toward More Digital Taxes
Senate Bill 122 is projected to raise roughly $2 billion annual tax increase on the software businesses use to operate, and its costs will spread far beyond company software bills. Since software as a service supports nearly every part of the modern economy, businesses will have to absorb those higher ...
California cities turn to tax hikes to deal with overspending
Two years ago, 125 local tax measures appeared on ballots. Ninety, says the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, passed. A number of cities now have local sales taxes that exceed 10%. Several cities in “conservative” Orange County are likewise asking voters to approve various local tax increases. We won’t know until the deadline in August how ...
Despite Exorbitant Fees, LA28 Ticket Buying Experience Was Gold Medal Worthy
Recently, I felt like Charlie Bucket searching for the golden ticket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I “won” the lottery for the first draw opportunity to buy 2028 LA Olympic tickets. Much of what I read about the process online were complaints, primarily about pricing. A limited allotment ...
With Tax Day around the corner, how are Trump’s tax policies impacting you?
April 15th is just around the corner. While we settle up our 2025 taxes, it is a good time to take stock of all the fiscal changes that have occurred. While some have been good, others were bad, and still others were simply ugly. The Good Starting with the good, ...
California Can’t Address Affordability Crisis Without Lowering Tax Burden
“(We need) someone who will bring prices down,” Rep. Eric Swalwell says. “Californians can’t afford to live in California,” says billionaire Tom Steyer. They’re both right, but they should look in the mirror for a culprit. Big government policies –including several they are promoting in their platforms – are driving ...
Another Tax That Backfired
Passed in 2022 by nearly 58% of Angeleno voters, Measure ULA initially imposes an additional 4% tax on the sales of any homes or commercial properties, not just mansions, valued at more than $5.3 million. The rate on sales of properties sold at more than $10.6 million rises to 5.5%. The dollars coming in are dedicated ...
Death by a Thousand Cuts: Andrew Gruel on the Cost of Regulations for California Restaurants
The challenge is not a single overwhelming regulation, it is accumulation. California layers rule upon rule, each one defensible on its own. Over time, those requirements reshape how restaurants hire, price, expand (or not), and compete. What appears manageable on paper becomes costly in practice. Restaurants are high-transaction, high-labor businesses. ...
Sanders, Wealth Tax Proponents Could Chase $30 Billion in Revenue Out of State
“The billionaire class no longer sees itself as part of American society,” said Sanders, a Vermont socialist and winner of the 2020 California Democratic presidential primary by 8 percentage points over eventual nominee and president Joe Biden. “They see themselves as something separate and apart, like the oligarchs of the 18th century, ...
Does California Need Billionaires?
If supporters are able to rack up 874 ,641 signatures, the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. Should it pass, it will levy “a one-time 5% tax on billionaire wealth.” Rather than waiting until voters make their decision, a few billionaires have already left California, including PayPal and ...
Tough Times Ahead for California in 2026
But he won’t be alone. Difficult times are ahead for all Californians. According to Indian government data, that country’s GDP has reached $4.18 trillion in U.S. dollars. By 2030, India’s GDP is projected to be $7.3 trillion. The most recent numbers from the International Monetary Fund, posted in April 2025, has California at $4.1 trillion. The UCLA Anderson School ...