What is the Board of Equalization?
Clip | 1m 24sVideo has Closed Captions
The Board of Equalization was created to make sure county taxes equally spread across the state.
The Board of Equalization was created in 1879 to make sure the county taxes were equally spread across the state.
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Ballot Brief is a local public television program presented by PBS SoCal
What is the Board of Equalization?
Clip | 1m 24sVideo has Closed Captions
The Board of Equalization was created in 1879 to make sure the county taxes were equally spread across the state.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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On your ballot, you'll see something called the State Board of Equalization.
They collect taxes.
There are four members.
Each one represents a part of California.
We're district three.
See it there?
So why is it called the Board of Equalization?
Well, back in the late 1800s property taxes were assessed by Now imagine that you were a county and you wanted to get reelected.
You could make sure that property taxes in your county so your constituants would pay less Woohoo!
Well, to stop that practice, California, back.. created the Board of Equalization The Board made sure county taxes were more or less equal across the state.
So things got better for a while.
Well, fast forward to 2017.
Another scandal.
An audit revealed that the board had mishandled funds.
Some money was missing completely.
Board members were interviening on behalf of.. business associates and seventeen to have a relative on the staff.
That's called nepotism.
So in 2017, Governor Brown signed a law that gutted the Board of Equalization stripping it of many of its powers It still collects a few taxes like the alcohol tax but its main duty is back to what it used to do review property tax and make sure they are, more or equal.
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Ballot Brief is a local public television program presented by PBS SoCal