AB 796: Social media platforms: advertising: tax.

Existing law imposes various taxes, including a tax on income, the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property, and real property.

This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2031, would impose a tax on a social media platform provider, as defined, equal to an unspecified percentage of the annual gross receipts derived from the purchase of advertisements programmatic advertising for distribution on the providers social media platform, as provided. The bill would require the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to administer the tax pursuant to the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime. By extending the application of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would create the Social Media Safety Trust Fund within the State Treasury and would require all moneys raised pursuant to these taxes be deposited into the fund. The bill would establish various accounts within the fund and would allocate moneys into those accounts for expenditure according to specified purposes, including an Education Account, Mental Health Care Account, Research and Development Account, and Social Services Account. The bill would continuously appropriate the moneys in the fund to administer those provisions. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2031.