A few weeks ago, I announced SB 582 (Knight) had reached the Governor’s desk. While Governor Brown vetoed the bill yesterday, he pledged to move the idea forward anyway.
SB 582 would have required the Board of Equalization, Franchise Tax Board and Employment Development Department to examine how to consolidate their websites, alleviating one of the challenges most business owners face: paying taxes to three separate state tax agencies.
Our legislation was designed to make life easier for taxpayers by creating a one-stop shop for people to visit for all of their tax services.
In his veto message Governor Brown expressed support for the bill’s concept, stating the problem needed to be addressed immediately, rather than studied. He instructed his office to examine “if taxpayer service can be improved in a cost effective manner with a single state Webpage for all state taxes” and then move forward with implementation measures. A complete copy of the Governor’s veto message can be found here.
Although I would have liked to see our bill signed into law, I still see this resolution as a step forward for taxpayers. I applaud Governor Brown’s commitment to this necessary policy change and look forward to working with his office to ensure it happens.