Stripping Board of Equalization of taxpayer protection powers would devastate small business
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Federation of Independent Business/California
Contact: Shawn Lewis (916) 342-9315; [email protected]
Follow: @NFIB_CA and on Facebook
NFIB Opposes Government’s Latest Power Grab
Stripping Board of Equalization of taxpayer protection powers would devastate small business
SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 12, 2017 – Following Senate pro Tem De Leon and Speaker Rendon unveiling their backroom deal to overhaul the California Board of Equalization, NFIB California State Executive Director Tom Scott issued the following statement on behalf of our 22,000 dues-paying small business members:
“In the final days before the constitutional deadline to pass the state budget to the Governor, legislative leadership crafted a deal behind closed doors to gut the Board of Equalization of all statutory powers, including many important taxpayer protections which benefit our small business members. We are strongly opposed to budget trailer bills SB 86 and AB 102, and we have alerted our 22,000 small business members across the state to tell their representatives how these changes would negatively impact them.
“The BOE is the only elected taxpayer collection agency in the nation, and for many of our small businesses, it is their only option to appeal egregious tax bills and penalties. What is the point of having an elected Board of Equalization if those board members are stripped of any power to represent and advocate for their constituents?
“There is no question the BOE needs reforms, which is why there already exist legislative proposals to address those issues. But ramming through sweeping public policy which will impact an agency that collects 1/3 of all tax revenues in the final hours of a budget deadline is no way to have this discussion.
“Our message to all legislators right now is simple: we don’t need two new state agencies to fix some problems with one. We can fix the Board of Equalization without stripping small businesses of their taxpayer protections.”
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB has 350,000 dues-paying members nationally, with over 22,000 in California. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. To learn more visit www.NFIB.com/california
