The State Worker: The scoop on the new state tax 'increase'

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The State Worker

Chronicling civil-service life for California state workers

October 28, 2009

The scoop on the new state tax 'increase'

Several state workers -- often in a panic -- have e-mailed and called looking for information about the change to the state income tax rate that starts in November.

Now, we don't want to downplay concerns. Nobody enjoys giving the government more money. But as this report by Dale Kasler points out, what's happening next month is a "tax acceleration," a gimmick lawmakers dreamed up for the last budget fix. And it affects everyone, not just state workers.

Some of the worry we're hearing from State Worker blog users has been stoked by this letter from the State Controller's Office.

The bottom line: Your overall tax bill isn't going to rise because the amount owed the following April will be adjusted accordingly. And, according to a CPA cited in Dale's story, "a typical married taxpayer making $75,000 a year and filing jointly, the amount withheld will rise about $16 a month." (We've already endured the real income tax increase when rates went up 0.25 percent earlier this year.)

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