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SB-863 • 2026

Taxation.

Taxation.

Elections Taxes
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Committee on Revenue and Taxation (S) - (Senators McNerney (Chair), Ashby, Grayson, Umberg, and Valladares)
Last action
2025-10-07
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 462, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is not specified in the official source material and remains unknown.

Changes in Property Taxes and Film Credits

This law changes how property tax payments are counted as received by county treasurers-tax collectors, allows tax collectors more flexibility when selling defaulted properties due to special assessments or direct charges, requires local governments to wait until after an election before implementing new transaction and use taxes, expands film credit assignment options for single-member limited liability companies, and updates references related to cigarette and tobacco taxes.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the date a property tax payment is considered received by the county treasurer-tax collector in the absence of any specified dates.
  • Allows tax collectors to reduce minimum prices when selling defaulted properties due to changes in special assessments or direct charges against the property.
  • Requires local governments to wait until after an election before implementing new transaction and use taxes.
  • Expands options for assigning film production credits to affiliated corporations, including single-member limited liability companies.
  • Updates references from State Board of Equalization to California Department of Tax and Fee Administration in cigarette and tobacco tax laws.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Property owners who pay property taxes.
  • Tax collectors responsible for selling defaulted properties.
  • Local governments considering new transaction and use taxes.
  • Film production companies receiving credits from the state.

Terms To Know

Special assessment
A charge or tax imposed on a property to fund improvements that benefit the property, such as street repairs or water systems.
Direct charge
A fee or cost directly applied to a specific piece of property for services or benefits provided by local government.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify an effective date, so it is unclear when the changes will take effect.
  • It is not clear how many local governments will be affected by the new rules on implementing transaction and use taxes after elections.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-07 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 462, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-07 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-16 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

  4. 2025-09-08 California Legislative Information

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2579.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. 2025-09-04 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  6. 2025-09-04 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 2905.) Ordered to the Senate.

  7. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to third reading.

  8. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended.

  9. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to third reading.

  10. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    Action rescinded whereby bill was read third time, passed, and ordered to the Senate.

  11. 2025-08-19 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Held at Desk.

  12. 2025-08-18 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to the Assembly.

  13. 2025-07-14 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  14. 2025-07-14 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 2539.) Ordered to the Senate.

  15. 2025-07-09 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.

  16. 2025-07-08 California Legislative Information

    (Corrected July 8).

  17. 2025-07-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 7).

  18. 2025-06-27 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on REV. & TAX.

  19. 2025-06-24 California Legislative Information

    June 23 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.

  20. 2025-05-19 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on REV. & TAX.

  21. 2025-05-01 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  22. 2025-05-01 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 984.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  23. 2025-04-24 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.

  24. 2025-04-23 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 873.) (April 23).

  25. 2025-04-04 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 23.

  26. 2025-03-26 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on REV. & TAX.

  27. 2025-03-20 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after April 19.

  28. 2025-03-19 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 863, Committee on Revenue and Taxation.
Taxation.
(1) Existing property tax law specifies the date on which a remittance to a taxing agency is deemed to be received depending on the method of delivery, as provided, including for items mailed with an official postmark.
This bill would require, in the absence of any specified dates, the remittance to be deemed received on the date the remittance is received by the county treasurer-tax collector, except as provided.
(2) Existing property tax law authorizes a tax collector to sell property that has become tax defaulted, as provided, and has not been redeemed. Existing law requires the tax collector to sell the property at a public auction to the highest bidder and prohibits the tax collector from accepting an offer less than the minimum price approved, as
provided, except that the tax collector may reduce the minimum price if there has been a partial redemption or partial cancellation, as specified.
This bill would also authorize a tax collector to reduce the minimum price where the minimum necessary to redeem is decreased due to the removal or reduction of defaulted taxes resulting from the removal or reduction of a special assessment or a direct charge against the property.
(3) The Transactions and Use Tax Law authorizes various local governmental entities, subject to certain limitations and approval requirements, to levy transactions and use taxes as special taxes in accordance with the procedures and requirements set forth in that law. The Transactions and Use Tax Law prohibits an ordinance adopted under its provisions from becoming operative on other than the first day of a calendar quarter, or prior to the first day of the first calendar quarter,
commencing more than 110 days after the adoption of the ordinance.
This bill would instead prohibit an ordinance adopted under the Transactions and Use Tax Law from becoming operative on other than the first day of a calendar quarter, or prior to the first day of the first calendar quarter, commencing more than 110 days after the election on the ordinance proposing the tax.
(4) The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including various motion picture credits, commonly referred to as motion picture credit 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0, and the certified studio credit, to be allocated by the California Film Commission in differing amounts equal to specified percentages of the qualified expenditures of a qualified motion picture in this state. Existing
law allows a qualified taxpayer, if a motion picture credit exceeds the taxpayer’s tax liability, to elect to assign a portion of the credit to one or more affiliated corporations for each taxable year in which the credit is allowed, as specified. AB 1138 (Chapter 27 of the Statutes of 2025), effective July 3, 2025, among other things, for purposes of the motion picture credit 3.0 and 4.0 and for purposes of the certified studio credit, expands the definition of a qualified taxpayer to include a single member limited liability company that is disregarded for tax purposes. AB 1138 prohibits a motion picture credit 1.0 and 2.0 or certified studio credit generated by a disregarded single member limited liability company from being ineligible for certain reasons for assignment to a corporation that, directly or indirectly, owns the disregarded single member limited liability company, or to an affiliated corporation of that corporation.
This bill would additionally prohibit a motion picture credit 3.0 generated by a disregarded single member limited liability company from being ineligible for those same reasons for assignment to a corporation that, directly or indirectly, owns the disregarded single member limited liability company, or to an affiliated corporation of that corporation.
(5) The California Constitution provides for the establishment of the State Board of Equalization, which, before July 1, 2017, had primary responsibility for most of the state’s duties, powers, and responsibilities regarding the administration of taxes and
fees. Existing law, on July 1, 2017, transferred to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration various duties, powers, and responsibilities of the State Board of Equalization, including enforcing specified licensing and tax provisions of the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Tax Law and providing information to the Attorney General relative to a seller’s failure or attempt to comply with specified provisions of federal law.
This bill would change references in these provisions of the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Tax Law from the “State Board of Equalization” or “board” to the “California Department of Tax and Fee Administration” or “department,” as applicable, to reflect the transfer of the board’s duties, powers, and responsibilities to the department.

Current Bill Text

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