January 24, 2012 9:00pm- When it comes to paying higher taxes to maintain funding levels for the state's four largest areas of spending, Californians are most willing to do so for K-12 public education (72 percent, adults, 62 percent likely voters), followed by health and human services (57 percent adults, 49 percent likely votes) and higher education (57 percent adults, 46 percent likely voters), according to a new statewide released Tuesday night by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. READ MORE...

As many as 5 million California property-tax payers who have been taking the entire amount they pay off their state income taxes could see a major cut in their deductions when they file next year. READ MORE...

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than $148 million is on its way to 49 California counties, as Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) delivers its property tax payments. READ MORE...

Californians continue to strongly back Proposition 13, the Jarvis-Gann property tax reduction amendment approved by voters in 1978, and resist proposals aimed at amending some of its provisions. 

By a greater than two to one margin (63% to 29%) voters say that if Prop. 13 were up for a vote again today they would endorse it. By a five to four margin (50% to 41%) voters also oppose the idea of amending Prop. 13 to permit business and commercial property owners to be taxed at a higher rate than residential owners.  In addition, two to one majorities oppose changing Prop. 13 to enable the state legislature to increase taxes by either a simple majority vote or a 55% majority vote of the Assembly and State Senate.  Read more...

Big banks have been slow to pay real estate taxes after they bought other companies in recent years, according to San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting. Now Ting is opening an investigation to force the banks to pay up and hopes that San Francisco will collect about $1 million in property taxes and transfer taxes from multibillion-dollar bank mergers. Read more

Contra Costa has reached a tentative agreement to spread over two years payment of an $18 million property tax refund it owes Chevron Corp., easing the blow to the county general fund and the budgets of cities and local agencies. Read more

The idea of a revision to the state’s property tax law - established with passage of Proposition 13 - is not new to Sacramento. It was born, say revision proponents, with the post-Prop 13 realization that what defines a commercial property sale would not be the same as what defines a residential property sale. This legal definition created a corporate tax loophole unintended by the overwhelming number of California voters who supported the initiative. Read more