HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4.05 Support AB866&SB602
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CITY OF DUBLIN
AGENDA STATEMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: April 10, 1995
SUBJECT:
City Council Support For AD 866 and SB 602 Which Would Change The
Method Used To Allocate Sales Tax On Leased Vehicle Purchases
(H8Prepared by: Paul S. Rankin, Assistant City Manager)
EXHIBITS A TT ACHED
('1.
Copy of SB 602. (Both Bills Were Identical As Introduced SB
602 was amended March 27,1995.)
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2.
Draft Letter To Senator Boatwright and Assemblyman Rainey
requesting their support of these measures.
RECOMMENDATION ~
(1) Receive Staff Report. (2) Authorize the Mayor to execute the
letters seeking support for the legislation on behalf of the City
Council.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT:
If the law were amended it is anticipated that the City of Dublin
would benefit from increased Sales Tax Revenues. Currently retail
sales transactions involving leased automobiles are occurring at local
dealers, however, the tax is allocated to other areas through county
sales tax pools which are not based upon the "point-of-sale".
DESCRIPTION: A significant portion of the City of Dublin Sales Tax in the past has been attributable
to successful Auto Dealerships. In recent years a trend has developed where increasing numbers of
consumers began leasing instead of purchasing automobiles. Although the percentage of lease
transactions varies between the different manufacturers, industry experts project that 1 in 3 vehicles will
be leased in the next two years and over 50% by the year 2000. The current methodology used to allocate
sales tax on lease transactions different than if a sale occurs. Due to this difference local sales tax revenue
derived from automobile dealerships is deteriorating and does not directly reflect the sales volume
occurring at the dealer.
In a typical retail sales transaction the State Board of Equalization allocates the local portion of the Sales
Tax on a "Point.of Sale" basis. In the case of an auto purchase this would typically be at the dealership.
The City of Dublin receives 1 % of the total sales tax collected. The State Board of Equalization also
deducts certain amounts of total local revenues for collection and administrative charges.
When a vehicle is leased a calculation is made of a "Use Tax" which is treated significantly different than
a retail sales transaction. Although the consumer may have the option of electing to pay the entire sales
tax up front this method is rarely used. A "Use Tax" is calculated based upon the monthly lease
payment and results in lower up front costs to the consumer. The current policy used by the State Board
of Equalization to allocate in the "Use Tax", is to place it in a County Sales Tax Pool. The County pool
receiving the revenue is the County where the leasee resides.
The concept of a lease is really a function of how a consumer decides to finance a purchase. In most cases
the customer shops for the vehicle, at a dealership where the vehicle and its options are selected. The
customer negotiates a price and a written contract is made. At the conclusion of the transaction the
terms of a purchase or lease are discussed. As noted above, the current policy of the State Board of
Equalization has been to allocate "use taxes" attributable to lease transactions to County Sales Tax Pools.
This ignores the business aspects of the transaction and the fact that a dealership acts as the "point-of-
sale" .
lTEMNO.-.!J.,
COPIES TO: Lloyd de Llamas, HdL Sales Tax Consultants
Judi Smith, League of California Cities
CITY CLERK
FILE ~
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This process circumvents the original intended purpose of County Sales Tax Pools. The sales tax pool
concept was established for cases where the "Point -of-Sale" was difficult to track. It is appears rather
obvious that the Point-of-Sale for a leased vehicle is the dealership where the vehicle was selected, the
price negotiated, and the lease consummated. The monies collected within the County Sales Tax Pools
are allocated based on a percentage of the SaleslUse Tax each agency has within the total collected in the
County. In 1993 the City of Dublin represented approximately 4.19% of the County Pool. The
increasing allocation of taxes to the shared pool dilutes local agency options to maintain the current tax
base.
Identical bills have been introduced by Senator Wright (SB 602) and Assemblyman Aguiar (AB 866).
The Senate bill was amended March 27, 1995 to clarify the intended method of allocating the taxes.
Local Agency representatives anticipate further amendments in order to assure that an appropriate
process is developed which can be administered by the State Board of Equalization. The passage of the
bills is intended to modify the reporting for use tax collected on automobile leases. A copy of the Senate
version is attached as Exhibit 1 for your review. The measure would provide that the "use tax" on leased
vehicles would apply similar to a "Point-of.Sale" transaction at the location where the lease was
negotiated. An exception is provided in the event that the lease was with an out-of-state lessor. In
addition, the recent amendments clarify that it would not be applicable in cases where the leasing agent is
not solely affiliated with the auto dealership. As noted in a recent analysis by the League of California
Cities, the legislation will not affect the total tax dollars available. It will merely change the allocation
between taxing jurisdictions.
The City of Dublin sales tax revenues between Fiscal Year 1990/91 aDd 1993/94 have only increased by
2.23%. During this same period the rate of inflation has increased by more than 9.5%. Although factors
other than the treatment of automobile leases may have been a factor, the declining local "point-of.sale"
revenue attributable to the new automobile sales businesses are an important part of the local economy.
If this financing trend continues there may be further deterioration of the sales tax revenue generated
from this business sector.
Staff has analyzed the data for the four quarters of retail sales occurring between October 1993 through
September 1994. During this period $4,554,034 of retail sales tax was generated from five major business
groups in the City of Dublin. The Autos and Transportation Group represented 31 % ($1,425,250) of the
total sales tax collected from the five largest selected business sectors. Although this category includes
outlets in addition to new auto dealerships, the auto dealer sales are anticipated to comprise a large
percentage of the sales for this sector. (State Laws based upon the current number of new automobile
outlets in the City of Dublin, do not allow the City to disclose the revenues generated solely from New
Motor Vehicle Dealers.) The impact of the legislative proposal could be significant given that future
trends would suggest declining revenues for the City from these businesses as the number of lease
transactions increase.
The Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee is scheduled to conduct a hearing on SB 602 on April 19,
1995. Senator Boatwright is a member of this Committee. On the same date the Assembly Local
Government Committee, will review AD 866. Assemblyman Richard Rainey is the Chairman of this
Committee. Staff has prepared a Draft letter to each of the local officials seeking their support and
leadership in the passage of this amendment to the current sales tax allocation process.
It is recommended that the City Council authorize the Mayor to execute the letters supporting AB 866
and SB 602 and that the City Council work with the legislators to obtain the passage of this proposal.
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DRAFT LETTER FOR CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
The Honorable Daniel Boatwright
Senator 7th District
State Capitol- Room 3086
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Honorable Richard Rainey
Assemblyman 15th District
State Capitol- Room 4139
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: SB 602 (Wright)
Allocation of Sales Tax on
Leased Vehicle Purchases
Committee Hearing: April 19, 1995
(Revenue & Taxation)
Re: AB 866 (Aguiar)
Allocation of Sales Tax on
Leased Vehicle Purchases
Committee Hearing: April 19, 1995
(Local Government)
Dear
The purpose of this letter is to seek your support and leadership in obtaining the passage of the
legislation referenced above. This item was considered by the entire Dublin City Council at their
meeting on April 1 0, 1995. The issue is considered to be of great importance to the economic vitality of
our community.
As you are aware, over the past several years local governments have been subjected to various
legislative actions which have eroded our financial base to provide basic public services. The legislative
intent addressed by both SB 602 and AB 866 is the deterioration of the local sales tax revenue source.
This is being impacted by new options in the method used by consumers to finance the purchase of new
automobiles.
In recent years there has been a trend for consumers to lease rather than purchase new automobiles.
Based upon the current State Board of Equalization allocation methods, the "Use Tax" paid on a lease is
allocated to a County Pool in the County where the leasee resides. This ignores the fact that in reality,
often the "Point-of-Sale" is the dealership where the leased vehicle was selected, the price negotiated
and the lease consummated. Some experts project that as many as one in three new automobiles will be
leased in the next two years, and that the leasing rate could reach 50% by the year 2000. These trends
would suggest that the City of Dublin will continue to see the deterioration of this important local
revenue source.
Passage of this legislation will also provide for allocation practices which are more consistent with the
Bradley-Burns Uniform Sales and Use Tax law adopted by the State in 1955. Under this law, the
original purpose of a County Sales Tax Pool concept was to apply to cases where the "Point-of-Sale"
was difficult to track. The inclusion of automobile leases as these transactions presently take place, does
not appear to fit this description.
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Sales Tax is an important revenue source for the City of Dublin, and it assists in funding local public
services. The current allocation methods affect this revenue source simply due to new consumer trends
in the methods used to finance these purchases. It is our belief that the adjustment proposed in both SB
602 and AB 866 will correct the unintended consequences of this trend.
On behalf of the entire Dublin City Council, I encourage you, as our local legislator, to support the
passage of this legislation when it is considered by your Committee. We recognize that this legislation
is just beginning the Legislative Review process and may be subject to amendments which will clarify
the eventual administration by the State Board of Equalization. It is our hope that our elected
representatives at the State Board of Equalization will join in the process to cooperatively implement the
desired changes. Further, your leadership and assistance with the eventual passage into law will be of
great significance to your Dublin constituents.
In the event that you or your Staff have any questions regarding our position, please feel free to have
them contact Paul S. Rankin, Assistant City Manager. at (510) 833-6640.
Sincerely,
Guy S. Houston
Mayor
cc: Johan Klehs, Chairman - State Board of Equalization
Senator Wright
Senator Aguiar
City Councilmembers
President. Dublin Chamber of Commerce
Nancy Feeley, Dublin Chamber of Commerce
psr/lss g;agenda/autoleas.doc.