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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06021987 - 1.57 T ! ,s TO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Phil Batchelor Contra County Administrator Costa DATE: May 28, 1987 County SUBJECT: Legislation: Assembly Bill 1286 .(Jones) SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(_S) a BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION• Adopt a position of support for AB 1286 by Assemblyman Jones which would clarify the intent of the Legislature that the eight mill tax per dollar of sales applies to the sale of all economic poisons in California, not just agricultural economic poisons. BACKGROUND: Under current law, there is a tax of $0. 008 per dollar of sales which is applied to all economic poisons sold in California. A manufacturer of chlorine recently sued the State in Southern California contending that the intent of the Legislature was that the tax apply only to agricultural uses of economic poisons. The court agreed with the manufacturer and ruled that non-agricultural economic poisons ( such as chlorine) were not subject to the mill tax. The State Department of Food and Agriculture is appealing this ruling. However, to clarify the Legislature' s intent, Assemblyman Jones has introduced AB 1286 which clarifies and restates the Legislature' s intent that the tax apply to the sale of all economic poisons in California--both agricultural and non-agricultural. In Contra Costa County, the mill tax generates approximately $70,000 a year in revenue to the Agricultural Commissioner. Fifty-four percent of this revenue comes from non-agricultural economic poisons. It is, therefore, important to the Agricultural Commissioner and to the County General Fund that AB 1286 be enacted. Failure to enact AB 1286 and/or failure of an appellate court to overturn the ruling of the trial court would cost the Agriculture Department something in excess of $35,000 a year in revenue. The Agricultural Commissioner recommends that the Board support AB 1286 and this office concurs in that recommendation. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: Az" A. !!`g .. RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER S 1 GNATURE S : ACTION OF BOARD ON JLJnP_ 2, 1987 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER _ VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE Y_ UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. � cc: County Administrator ATTESTED JUN 2 %7 Agricultural Commissioner - Jackson/Barish & Associates PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Assemblyman Bill Jones SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR M382/7-83 BY ,DEPUTY