Sales and use taxes: farm equipment and machinery.

Existing state sales and use tax laws impose a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state of, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. The Sales and Use Tax Law provides various exemptions from those taxes, including an exemption for the sale of, or the storage, use, or consumption of, farm equipment and machinery, and the parts thereof, purchased for use by a qualified person to be used primarily in producing and harvesting agricultural products. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing laws authorize districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are automatically incorporated into the local tax laws. Existing law excludes the tax exemption described above from being incorporated into certain local taxes pursuant to the Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law. This bill would delete that provision. Existing law requires the state to reimburse counties and cities for revenue losses caused by the enactment of sales and use tax exemptions. This bill would make an appropriation from the General Fund to the Controller to make the reimbursements to counties and cities. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.