SB 419: Property tax: exemptions: personal property used in space flight.

The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to classify personal property for differential taxation or for exemption by means of a statute approved by a ²/₃ vote of the membership of each house. Pursuant to this constitutional authorization, existing property tax law, for the January 1, 2014, lien date to and including the January 1, 2024, lien date, exempts qualified property, as defined, for use in space flight, as specified. Existing law repeals this exemption as of July 1, 2025.

This bill would extend to January 1, 2029, the operation of the property tax exemption for qualified property used in space flight. By extending the operation of this exemption, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. The Legislative Open Records Act (LORA) authorizes any person to inspect legislative records, as defined, subject to specified exemptions.

This bill would include findings and reporting requirements in compliance with the above-described new tax expenditure requirement. The bill would require the Legislative Analysts Office (LAO) to provide the report and would provide that records received by and in the custody of the LAO are confidential and not subject to disclosure under LORA.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law requires the state to reimburse local agencies annually for certain property tax revenues lost as a result of any exemption or classification of property for purposes of ad valorem property taxation.

This bill would provide that, notwithstanding those provisions, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill.

This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.