State Sen. Harman's 'One-Stop' Tax Bills Clears Committee

A bill sponsored by Republican State Sen. Tom Harman that would create a single portal for the processing of state tax forms passed the Senate Governance and Finance Committee on Wednesday.

"This is something that should have been done a long time ago," Harman said. Businesses should be spending their resources to create jobs not to hire teams of attorneys and accountants to manage filling out California’s patchwork of tax forms. With technological advances, it is about time California’s tax system moves out of the dark ages."

Harman's "one-stop-shop" would require the state's Franchise Tax Board, Board of Equalization and Employment Development Department to create one joint tax website that would serve as a clearing house for the various tax forms required by different departments. The bill would also aim to reduce the number of forms each taxpayer is required to complete.

"Whether you are a business, individual or corporation, bouncing between the Board of Equalization, Franchise Tax Board, and the Employment Development Department to figure out your tax liability is a nightmare," Harman said. "I’m very thrilled to see the committee move this measure forward.

BOE Board Member and former senator George Runner also testified in support of the bill: "Just as online banking has provided individuals and businesses with easier access to banking account information and services, a single website will make voluntary compliance with tax programs simpler," Runner said.