It seems you cannot open a newspaper or financial magazine without being informed of the ever-increasing unemployment rate in the US, and the State of California unfortunately continues to be a leader in this statistic.  With both the state and Federal Government focusing 100% of their attention on how to curb this negative trend, it seems apparent that now is the time when small to medium sized businesses should be embracing the California Enterprise Zones.

A stimulus package will have only a limited effect on your bottom line, and your company most likely will never have access to a bailout fund, however the California EZ system allows you to take advantage of numerous tax credits that could save thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars per year.  But don’t take my word for it.  Listen to an actual small business owner here in California who has successfully utilized the many benefits of the EZ program with great results.

Daniel Morrow owns a small business in the high-tech sector of the market and had this to say about the importance of the California Enterprise Zones, especially in how they relate to employment.

“I can unequivocally say that certain aspects of the enterprise zone program that we have been able to take advantage of at Opt-Test has allowed us to train and employ more workers.  Let me make this perfectly clear for those academics in the audience – without the Shasta Metro Enterprise Zones there would be more people unemployed or working at much reduced wages here in Shasta County.  We are just one company, but I have spoken with numerous other business owners in the enterprise zone here who share my experience and my sentiment.  The enterprise zone program in California is vital to the continued success of hundreds of businesses throughout the state.”

Atwater is a progressive community when it comes to assisting and cultivating business. The City’s growing residential development is spurring commercial investment, construction, and services. Additionally the City has an established history of food processing, farming, and light manufacturing companies.

The City of Atwater has several programs to assist local businesses in being more prosperous, including:

• State of California Enterprise Zone Designation
• Foreign Trade Zone Designation
• Local Revolving Loan Fund
• Entrepreneur Training Program
• Access to business counseling and customer service training programs
• Recycling Market Development Zone Designation

If you have a business in the city of Atwater, contact us directly for a free Enterprise Zone consultation.

Located in California’s Central Valley, (Madera Population year 2000: 43,207. Estimated population in July 2006: 54,959) offers affordable small-town living on the periphery of a large metropolitan area (Fresno is 18 miles south). It’s a place where families can afford spacious houses and their kids can join 4-H or play sports a few blocks from home.

Madera is the home of Valley Children’s Hospital, one of the largest children’s hospitals in the U.S. Educational needs are served by the Madera Unified School District, featuring 20 schools; among them is a California Distinguished Elementary School. College courses and training are available through State Center Community College and CSU, Fresno.

If you have a business that operates in Madera, click here to contact us for a free consultation.

In June 1995, the community of Lindsay was named the only unanimous choice as an All-America City for 1995. Some 23 citizens of Lindsay went to Cleveland, Ohio to participate in the finals of the 1995 All-America City Awards. This extremely prestigious award is given annually to the ten cities in the United States which have provided outstanding examples of community problem solving. These cities are recognized not so much for their current status but for their innovation and hard work at identifying and addressing community problems.

This program is sponsored by the National Civic League and the Allstate Foundation. It is anticipated that other cities in America can benefit from the trails blazed by the 1995 All-America Cities. This is Lindsay’s story.

Nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California’s rich San Joaquin Valley, Lindsay historically has depended on seasonal agricultural production and processing, with citrus and olive growing as the local mainstay. As the region grew and developed, however, many downtown businesses moved to area malls, and low-income migrant workers settled in Lindsay, resulting in a major ethnic shift from Anglo to Hispanic. Faced with a decaying downtown, a stagnant tax base, an increasingly needy population, and an agriculture-dependent economy, Lindsay began to fight back in 1986, establishing a downtown redevelopment project and founding Healthy Kids-Healthy Lindsay to spearhead education on cultural diversity and deliver health and social services to needy families.

If you have a business in this city, contact us directly to see how much you can be saving through the enterprise zone tax credits.

In an effort to jumpstart the local economy, the Salinas Valley area has been granted a California Enterprise Zone approval status.  This means that businesses operating in the Salinas Valley area will be able to take advantage of numerous tax breaks.

The area includes the cities of Salinas, Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City as well as Monterey County areas connecting the five cities along Highway 101 and additional Monterey County properties identified in the map boundaries.

If you have a business in the Salinas Valley area, click here to contact us directly.

If you’re a business owner with a company operating in one of the many California Enterprise Zones, why haven’t you taken advantage of these tax credits?  Most business owners I speak with complain constantly about the high tax rates, however for some reason or another choose not to explore the EZ Tax Credit program.  Jim Zauher reported for Redding.com the following story:

I had one owner tell me that he decided not to take advantage of the enterprise zone because he was told “they” would be coming in and looking at his books. When I asked who “they” were, he couldn’t say.  The reality is that once a business and/or its tax preparer determines that it has qualifying equipment (computers and fax machines qualify as well as processing equipment) or employees, the tax credits are taken as part of the normal tax preparation.  There is no oversight of the process. A voucher is required as back-up documentation for the qualified employee credits.

With the current state of the economy, it is vital to take advantage of every tax credit available, and the California EZ system is one of the best methods of accomplishing this feat.  Contact us directly to discover how much money you could be saving thorugh this program.

With the number of tax incentives and economic stimulus plans being put into place right now, it can quickly and understandably become confusing.  Cutting through the excess language it is important to understand that the $1 trillion in benefits  will be received by two new WOTC target groups:

• Incentives for new jobs
• Incentives to hire unemployed veterans and disconnected youth.

Any unemployed veteran or disconnected youth who begins work for the employer during 2009 or 2010 shall be treated as a member of a targeted group.

Definitions

The term `unemployed veteran’ means any veteran who is certified by the designated local agency as having been discharged or released from active duty in the Armed Forces during 2008, 2009, or 2010, and being in receipt of unemployment compensation under State or Federal law for not less than 4 weeks during the 1-year period ending on the hiring date.

The term `disconnected youth’ means any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as having attained age 16 but not age 25 on the hiring date, as not regularly attending any secondary, technical, or post-secondary school during the 6-month period preceding the hiring date, as not regularly employed during such 6-month period, and as not readily employable by reason of lacking a sufficient number of basic skills.’.

When Does This Start?

The amendments made by this section shall apply to individuals who begin work for the employer after December 31, 2008.

If you want more information, please contact us directly here.

Delano is a culturally diverse community and has long been regarded as an international community. Though the population is drawn from multiple origins, the citizens still have many things in common, including a strong sense of community and work ethic. Delano is strategically located along Highway 99, one of California’s primary north/south arteries.

City of Delano Enterprise Zone: The City of Delano Enterprise Zone was first established in 1991. In November 2006, Delano received conditional approval for a new, expanded Enterprise Zone that now includes all businesses within the City limits and some County unincorporated areas.

The major benefits of the Enterprise Zone program are the tax savings on California business income tax. These include:

• Sales or Use Tax Credit: A tax credit against the purchase of new manufacturing, assembly, data processing or communications equipment equivalent to the amount of sales or use tax, or up to $1.35 million annually.
  
• Hiring Tax Credit: A tax credit on up to 50 percent of the wages to qualified new employees over a five-year period (up to 50 percent in the first year, 40 percent in the second year, etc.). Effective January 1, 2008 the maximum credit will be over $37,000 per employee.
  
• Accelerated Depreciation Deduction: The option to accelerate depreciation on business property. A business may treat 40 percent of the cost of qualified property as a business expense in the first year it is placed into service for a maximum deduction of $20,000 per year, whichever is smaller.
  
• Loss Carry Forward: All net operating losses may be carried forward as a deduction for fifteen years.
  
• Net Interest Deduction for Lenders: Allows lenders a deduction on the net interest earned from loans made to Enterprise Zone businesses.
  
• Qualified loans include business loans, mortgages and loans from noncommercial sources.
  
• Preference on State Contracts: Enterprise Zone businesses receive special points when bidding on State contracts.
  

The City of Barstow is located in the Inland Empire North region of San Bernardino County, midway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.  With Interstates 15 and 40, and highways 58 and 247 all converging in Barstow, the city is a major transportation corridor with more than 60 million people in 19 million vehicles traveling through Barstow each year. The city is home to an Amtrak depot at its Historic Harvey House.

Catering to the tourists is Barstow Outlet and Tanger Outlet Center which together boasts more than 100 outlet stores. Barstow offers all the major conveniences of small town living with the resources of major metropolitan areas only a short drive away.

If you have a company in Barstow, click here for a free consultation and tips on how to take advantage of the Enterprise Zone tax credits available to you.

Bakersfield is a large city at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California, United States. It is one of the fastest-growing large-population cities in the USA, and is located roughly equidistant between Los Angeles and Fresno, 110 miles (180 km) to the south and north respectively. As of 2008, the population was estimated at 328,692 within the city limits, making it the 11th largest city in California and the 58th largest city in the United States according to U.S. Census estimates.

The Bakersfield Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has a population of 780,711, making it the 65th largest metropolitan area in the country. It is California’s third largest inland city, after Fresno and Sacramento. The city’s economy relies on agriculture, petroleum extraction and refining, and manufacturing. Bakersfield is also the 11th fastest growing city in the United States with a population of over 100,000, and the fastest growing city in the United States with a population of over 250,000.

If you have a business in Kern, please click here to contact us and see what tax credits you can take advantage of.