Lots of new laws went into effect on January 1. While some may be cause for concern, others are the harbingers of good news. Reporter David Haldane tells us about one change likely to draw applause in the Morongo Basin…
The State of California has a New Year’s present for you: a statewide decrease in the sales and use tax rate. On January 1, the rate went from 7.5 to 7.25 percent, a quarter of a percent decrease. That means that in San Bernardino County, which adds a half-percent tax of its own, the rate went from 8 percent to 7.75 percent.
The decrease may be wiped out in Yucca Valley, where voters in November approved Measures Y and Z which, together, add a full 1 percent sales tax to bolster public safety, maintain roads and reduce sewer assessments. The tax rate of 8.75 percent will go into effect April 1.
The statewide decrease comes courtesy of California voters who approved Proposition 30—The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act—back in 2012, imposing a temporary sales tax increase.
The good news is that it expired on December 31, so—whoopee—time for a shopping spree!!
