The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) collects state personal income tax and corporate income tax of California. It is part of the California Government Operations Agency.
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The board is composed of the California State Controller, the director of the California Department of Finance, and the chair of the California Board of Equalization. The chief administrative official is the executive officer of the Franchise Tax Board.
History
In 1879 California adopted its state constitution which among many other programs created the State Board of Equalization and the State Controller, which administered all tax programs.
In 1929, the state legislature created the office of the Franchise Tax Commissioner to administer California’s Bank and Corporation Franchise Tax Act.
In 1950, California abolished the office of the Franchise Tax Commissioner and created the Franchise Tax Board as it exists today.
The Executive Officer of the Franchise Tax Board is Selvi Stanislaus, the first woman to hold the post. She assumed this position in 2006. The prior FTB Executive Officers were:
John J. Campbell (1950 - 1963)
Martin Huff (1963 - 1979) (During the first eight months of 1980, the department was under the direction of William Mackey, who was named Acting Executive Officer.)
Gerald H. Goldberg (1980 - 2005) (During the last five months of 2005, the department was under the direction Will Bush (William C. Bush), who was appointed Interim Executive Officer by the Board.)
Selvi Stanislaus (2006–present)
Members
The three members are the State Controller, Chair of the Board of Equalization, and the Director of the Department of Finance.
Personal income tax
The FTB collects personal state income taxes. The FTB collects income taxes from California residents on their income from all sources. Meanwhile, non-residents are taxed on their California-based income. In recent years, the FTB collects more than $50 billion each year in personal income taxes.
Corporate income tax
The FTB levies a franchise tax on businesses for doing business in California. The FTB's name reflects the fact that it was originally created to collect this tax. The agency's name was left unchanged even after the state created a personal income tax and added it to the FTB's responsibilities.
The corporate tax is imposed on businesses that do business in California and derive income from within California. Over the past decade, the FTB has collected an average of $9.5 billion per year in corporate income taxes.
Non-tax programs
The FTB also collects delinquent vehicle registration debt collections on behalf of the California Department of Motor Vehicles and delinquent court ordered debt. The FTB also does financial audits of certain candidates for state office, ballot proposition committees, and lobbyists, according to a random selection process by the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
Contact FTB
Contact the FTB through their website or by telephone 800-852-5711.