Income tax: sales and use tax: credit: small business.

The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. The Sales and Use Tax Law, in lieu of specified credits allowed under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, allows a qualified taxpayer or affiliate to make an irrevocable election to apply that income tax credit amount against qualified sales and use taxes imposed on the qualified taxpayer in the reporting periods in the 5 years following the reporting period for which the claimant was required to file its most recent sales and use tax return, as specified. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would allow a credit against the personal income and corporate income taxes for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2021, to a qualified small business employer that receives a tentative credit reservation, in an amount equal to $1,000 for each net increase in qualified employees, not to exceed one $100,000 for any qualified small business employer. The bill would authorize a qualified small business employer that received a tentative credit reservation to irrevocably elect to apply the credit against qualified sales and use taxes imposed on the qualified small business employer in reporting periods commencing on January 1, 2021, and until April 30, 2026, as specified. The bill would require a qualified small business employer to submit an application to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration for a tentative credit reservation under these provisions that includes, among other things, whether the qualified small business employer is making the irrevocable election, and would require the department to allocate the credit reservations on a first-come, first-served basis, not to cumulatively exceed $100,000,000. This bill would create the Small Business Hiring Credit Fund in the State Treasury for the sole purpose of applying the credits allowed by the bill against qualified sales and use taxes and would require any unused money remaining in the fund to be transferred to the General Fund by June 1, 2026. This bill would also include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.