A new law requiring online retailers to collect California sales tax from shoppers has stirred up controversy, and now Amazon.com Inc. is saying they are looking for voters to take the matter to the ballot. more ›

Every second, give or take, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors think of some new tax that will ruffle the feathers of its citizenry. Here's one folks are savoring like a fat Jolly Rancher: Supervisor John Avalos has proposed a booze tax as a means to payback the $17.7 million (or $18.1 million, per SF Appeal) "San Francisco spends yearly on emergency room visits, prevention programs, a sobering center, Fire Department ambulance transports and other costs linked to excessive drinking." more ›

After the Governor tried to raid public transit funds and was stopped by the courts, he's after the money again, but with a different shell game. As pointed out by Damien Newton at Streestblog LA, the LA Times reports that "the governor would eliminate the sales tax on gas and, at the same time, impose a new per-gallon excise tax. Drivers would pay about 5 cents less per gallon at the pump. The excise tax would not be subject to voter-approved spending requirements for public transit." Ouch. more ›

This morning, a fresh new ordinance went into effect: cigarette addicts now must pay 20 cents extra per pack "in order cover the costs of cleaning up discarded cigarette butts throughout the city." The very first tax of its kind in the U.S., KTVU says, "The fee will be collected from retailers and will go specifically to city departments that conduct street cleanup of cigarette butts." more ›

Part effort to generate revenue and part Bay Area-esque statement, Oakland voters passed a tax on medical marijuana joints, making it the first taxed pot dispensary in the U.S. While the tax "could have the smallest budgetary impact for Oakland," it's a big step for people who want to puff marijuana legally. According to , "people believe it could help legitimize medical marijuana and possibly adult cannabis use in general." Measure F, it seems, "will create a new business class for the dispensaries, which will see a tax increase from $1.20 for every $1,000 in gross sales to $18 per $1,000. It could generate an additional $294,000 a year for the city when it takes effect Jan. 1." This tax, however, won't be nearly enough to help Oakland crawl out of its deep economic rabbit hole. more ›

Supervisor John Avalos has a plan to help fund cash-strapped San Francisco. He wants to tax alcohol. According to SF Examiner, Supervisor John Avalos plans to ask our city attorney to draft legislation today that would "impose a fee on alcohol," a small fee that could "offset city costs related to the consumption of alcohol in San Francisco." While he couldn't say what the exact amount would be, he's thinking of possibly tacking on "5 cents for a beer, a larger fee on a bottle of wine, and an even more for hard liquor." more ›

Since the Catholic Church is trying to shift property from one non-profit to another, San Francisco is now asking the ritual-heavy religious folks to pay up. Why? Well, according to San Francisco City Assessor Phil Ting, the move is considered "a change in ownership." The church, it seems, owes the city of San Francisco a whopping $15 million due to the transfer of more than 200 properties it owns between three separate nonprofit organizations. And the Archdiocese has three options: pay, fight the assessor in court, or leave the property as is. The church, however, claims it is being unfairly targeted. more ›

As the story of Bob and Sally attest, they shouldn't. more ›

Today is the final day, folks. Have you finished your taxes yet? Yeah, neither have we. (Math is hard.) more ›