[Sacramento] – Sunscreen: check. Passport: check. Support for vital California public services: check. The California State Board of Equalization reminds summer travelers that use tax may be due on items brought back from trips abroad. Use tax helps support essential services like public safety, healthcare, and education.
Use tax, which has been California law since 1935, is similar to sales tax. Generally, it is owed when items are purchased while traveling and carried or shipped back into California. The first $800 of hand-carried property is exempt from the use tax.
The use tax rate is generally the same as the sales tax rate where the traveler will use the item in California. This is usually the home address of the traveler or a person receiving a gift from the traveler.
“Use tax may not be a common daily conversation topic, but as Californians, we rely on the indispensable community services that use tax funds every single day,” BOE Executive Director Cynthia Bridges said.
The BOE estimates about $1 billion in use tax goes uncollected each year: That would pay the annual salaries of 11,000 teachers, 7,000 police officers, or 6,000 firefighters. The amount of use tax paid on California income tax returns grew steadily over the past five years, exceeding $17.4 million from July 2013 to May 2014, but the use tax gap persists.
Travelers can do their part to fund California services by reporting use tax on their California State Income Tax returns, using the BOE’s ePay mobile app, or on the BOE website. Travelers and consumers who forget to save their receipts can use the BOE’s convenient Use Tax Lookup Table to estimate the amount owed for purchases less than $1,000.
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17 Comments
Pay part of our debt!!
Our teachers are teaching the wrong stuff anyway
I’ll go with 6K firefighters!
I know.. Learn how to balance a budget instead of telling us to give you more money.
Not the police officers, please.
Not the police officers, please.
Not the police officers, please.
How about money managment?
Isn’t this what Obama is asking to PARTIALLY fund the undocumented (aka illegal) immigrant children and their accompanying family members…
Yeah, always with the teachers/police/fire at the front lines. Nevermind the multiple billions lost in mismanagement, waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, and sheer incompetence. No one in their right mind thinks we are being under-taxed in this state. When you start caring about how you’re spending our money, maybe then we’ll start caring about how much more money you should have.
Go to hell! Tax on items bought abroad reminds me of something the king of England would have done
Is this the funny of the day? This made me laugh.
Is this the funny of the day? This made me laugh.
They blow all of the tax dollars and then whine that they need more to pay for schools and roads. Then if they get it, will blow that too, and wind up in the same spot. Nothing is never enough.
They blow all of the tax dollars and then whine that they need more to pay for schools and roads. Then if they get it, will blow that too, and wind up in the same spot. Nothing is never enough.
Hmmm Melanie Lynn then who will go to all the 911 calls to the illegal immigrants that need a lift to the ER for a cold so they can be treated for free, or put out your house fire, or open their stations up during business hours for 5 year old kindergartners to come in the station for a tour, or better yet every time California had an earthquake day or night they patrol for hours YOUR community to make sure everyone is safe and there are no structural damages, gas leaks, or potential fires, while you sleep cozy in your bed. Don’t forget they are at YOUR disposal 24/7 365 days a year just in case you’re a diabetic and forgot to eat all day and then discover you don’t feel good, they’ll be right there- a ladder truck, a fire engine, and an ambulance, all paid for by the city!!!! Because of ignorance! City money spent on the FIRE DEPARTMENT IS BEING WAISTED ON THE PEOPLE OF LA THAT ABUSE THE 911 SYSTEM!!!!!
When you do your state taxes one of the questions is regarding your out of state internet purchases that you didn’t pay taxes on. FTB wants you to claim that amount and pay sales/use taxes on that. I’m nit surprised at this. They will never learn to budget wisely. They budget according to who’s lobby is strongest and gets them reelected. They also govern by fear and emotion. To be clear, I referring to both mainstream political parties.