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88 California Attorney General Reports and Opinions 1 (2005)

handle is hein.sag/sagca0088 and id is 1 raw text is: ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OPINIONS

Opinion No. 04-413-February 7, 2005
Requested by: MEMBER OF THE STATE ASSEMBLY
Opinion by: BELL LOCKYER, Attorney General
Susan Duncan Lee, Deputy
THE HONORABLE TOM HARMAN, MEMBER OF THE STATE
ASSEMBLY, has requested an opinion on the following questions:
1. Where voters of a charter city have approved a city employee pension
plan prior to July 1, 1978, but collection of a property tax to pay for the
retirement benefits is delayed until after July 1, 1978, is the collection of
the tax subject to the one percent property tax limitation of the Constitution?
2. Where voters of a charter city have approved a retirement benefit prior
to July 1, 1978, to be offered to employees after July 1, 1978, is the
collection of a property tax to pay for the retirement benefit subject to the
one percent property tax limitation of the Constitution?
3. Where voters of a charter city have approved different levels of
retirement benefits before and after July 1, 1978, what accounting method
may be used for purposes of determining which costs are not subject to
the one percent property tax limitation of the Constitution?
CONCLUSIONS
1. Where voters of a charter city have approved a city employee pension
plan prior to July 1, 1978, but collection of a property tax to pay for the
retirement benefits is delayed until after July 1, 1978, the collection of the
tax is not subject to the one percent property tax limitation of the
Constitution.
2. Where voters of a charter city have approved a retirement benefit prior
to July 1, 1978, to be offered to employees after July 1, 1978, the collection
of a property tax to pay for the retirement benefit is not subject to the one
percent property tax limitation of the Constitution.
3. Where voters of a charter city have approved different levels of
retirement benefits before and after July 1, 1978, any reasonable accounting
method may be used for purposes of determining which costs are not subject
to the one percent property tax limitation of the Constitution.
ANALYSIS
In June 1978, California voters approved Proposition 13, which added
article XIII A to the Constitution. Article XIII A generally limits ad valorem
(according to value) taxes on real property to one percent of the value

February 2005

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