Tax Reform Panel Could See Life Beyond June 30 By SLAV KANDYBA Staff Reporter The citizen’s committee that spearheaded the efforts to reform business taxes in Los Angeles could get a second lease on life, if City Councilman Tony Cardenas has his way. Cardenas at presstime introduced a resolution to extend the term of the Business Tax Advisory Committee beyond June 30, when the committee was to have been disbanded. “The Business Tax Advisory Committee has been pivotal in giving the business community a bigger voice,” Cardenas said. Originally created in 1999 by then-mayor Richard Riordan, the Business Tax Advisory Committee was scheduled to meet for the last time in June. It was due to disband after that. The committee has recommended a plan that would lower taxes by 15 percent over the next five years an average 3 percent decrease per year and increase efforts to catch scofflaws via improved audits. Although their work is essentially done, members of BTAC welcomed the idea that the City Council would want them to stay assembled. “We didn’t take a vote but the general consensus was that we fulfilled our job,” said Mel Kohn, BTAC president. “But regardless of fulfilling that, because it’s a political process, it’s important that we’re there because we’re the closest to it.” At its May 20 meeting, BTAC approved a final report recommending ways to increase tax revenue for the City of Los Angeles. The report encourages the city to hire an outside consultant to implement the changes, but does not make a recommendation about whom to hire.
