Wealthy Californians Keep Paying More in Taxes

business man waiting for train

 

The tax numbers are in for the state of California and all signs point to the wealthy paying more than their fair share. With tax day now behind us it’s a key time to take a closer look into the real numbers in the Golden state, especially since income taxes account for more than 65 percent of the state’s revenue in the current budget year.

According to the latest number from the Franchise Tax Board, almost 90 percent of that tax revenue comes from just 20 percent of the taxpayers; those who make $91,000 or more. Taxpayers in that income range are the only taxpayers who have seen an average income increase during the past two years.

Meantime, the top 1 percent of taxpayers, those with an adjusted gross income of at least $501,000 paid close to half – 45 percent – of all state income tax revenue. Taxpayers in this bracket reported an average AGI of $1.6 million in 2013, which is nearly double the amount of the average AGI in 1994. Meanwhile, all other income brackets have seen a decline in their average AGI.

So what does all this mean for the state budget? The governor’s spending plan now expects that income tax revenue will be higher than what lawmakers originally expected when they passed the budget last year. However, that is not due to overall income growth, but rather because they expect higher-income taxpayers to see their income increase even more, which means they will pay higher marginal tax rates.

Posted in
Basics of Forming a Corporation

Basics of Forming a Corporation

Basics of Forming a Corporation If you have decided that the limited liability and the tax structure of a corporation are right for your business, the next step is actually forming the corporation. The law of the state in which you incorporate will dictate exactly what you need to do, but the steps are basically…

5 Rules of Building Successful Connections

5 Rules of Building Successful Connections

  5 Rules of Building Successful Connections Author: Will Corrente Updated: 6/10/2013 For me, connecting with people and connecting with entrepreneurs is one of the most enjoyable aspects of business and entrepreneurship. As a “Connection Optimizer”, I love brainstorming, making introductions, and pointing out potential synergies between friends, colleagues and fellow entrepreneurs. Like all social…

How To Become Employed With 9.8% Unemployment

How To Become Employed With 9.8% Unemployment

How To Become Employed With 9.8% Unemployment 9.8% unemployment is the national average. For many states, it is even higher than 9.8%. I live in California and the number has hit double digits. This is true for many other states as well. Regardless of the rate, anyone actively in a job search knows these are…

Salaries of American Cities To Be Considered Wealthy

Salaries of American Cities To Be Considered Wealthy

What are the salaries required within most American cities to be considered wealthy?  We spend a lot of time on this website discussing the nation’s wealthiest individuals. Of course, most people in the United States know who the nation’s top earners are. Names like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Mark Zuckerberg are very…