AB 1247: Sales and use taxes: exemption: organic input material.
- Session Year: 2015-2016
- House: Assembly
Existing sales and use tax laws impose a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. That law provides various exemptions from those taxes, including an exemption for fertilizer to be applied to land, the products of which are to be used as food for human consumption or are to be sold in the regular course of business.
This bill would additionally exempt from those taxes the gross receipts from the sale in this state of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, organic input material, as defined, to be applied to land, the products of which are to be used as food for human consumption or are to be sold in the regular course of business.
The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing law authorizes districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to state sales and use taxes are incorporated into these laws.
Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code provides that the state will reimburse counties and cities for revenue losses caused by the enactment of sales and use tax exemptions.
This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse any local agencies for sales and use tax revenues lost by them pursuant to this bill.
This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy, but its operative date would depend on its effective date.
Existing law requires the labeling and registration, as specified, of fertilizing materials, including organic input materials. Organic input materials are commercial fertilizers, agricultural minerals, auxiliary soil and plant substances, specialty fertilizers, or soil amendments, excluding pesticides, that are to be used in organic crop and food production and that comply with specified national standards.
Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the State Air Resources Board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism relative to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
This bill would require the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, on or before June 30, 2016, to provide to the Legislature a plan to expand the Department of Food and Agricultures promotion of organic input materials for the production of food and fiber. The bill would express the Legislatures intent that the secretarys plan and the departments promotion of organic input materials be funded, all or in part, by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The bill would make findings and declarations regarding the ways in which agricultural practices, including the application of fertilizer, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Discussed in Hearing
Assembly Standing Committee on Revenue and Taxation
Bill Author