Published: October 05, 2011
500 Tax Delinquents List: Jerome Horton Applauds Governor Brown for Signing Bill
Measure also requires suspension of professional licenses
Jerome Horton, Chairman of the Board of Equalization (BOE), today applauded Governor Jerry Brown for signing into law AB 1424 by Assemblyman Henry Perea (D-Fresno). This bill would require that a list of the 500 largest tax delinquencies be made available to the public at least twice each calendar year by the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) and quarterly by the BOE instead of once a year, as required under current law AB1418 (Horton). In addition, this bill would authorize a state governmental licensing entity that issues professional or occupational licenses, certificates, registrations, or permits, to suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue a license if the licensee's name is included on the list of the 500 largest tax delinquencies.
"While it is not pleasant to be published under the top 500 tax delinquents list, California's tax cheats now know we are serious about making them follow the law. This law will encourage those who owe the most to the BOE and the FTB to pay their delinquencies to come off this list," Horton said.
Chairman Horton authored the initial legislation (AB 1418, 2006) that created the top 250 tax delinquencies list when he was a member of the California State Assembly. Since then, the BOE and FTB combined have collected more than $85 million in delinquent state and local taxes under AB 1418. Publication of the list of tax delinquencies, per Chairman Horton's AB 1418, has proven a successful way to encourage delinquent taxpayers to come forward and pay the amounts due promptly. "If the taxpayers choose to ignore their tax debts, the public has a right to know who they are," Horton noted. As Chairman of the BOE, Horton also serves as a member of the FTB.
Elected in 2010, Chairman Jerome E. Horton is the Fourth District Member of the California State Board of Equalization, representing more than 8.5 million residents in Los Angeles County. He is also the Board of Equalization Legislative Committee chairman. He is the first to serve on the Board with over 21 years of experience at the BOE. Horton previously served as an Assemblyman in the California State Assembly from 2000-2006.
The five-member California State Board of Equalization is a publicly elected tax board. The BOE collects more than $50 billion annually in taxes and fees supporting state and local government services. It hears business tax appeals, acts as the appellate body for franchise and personal income tax appeals, and serves a significant role in the assessment and administration of property taxes. For more information on other taxes and fees in California, visit www.taxes.ca.gov.
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