Emeryville’s BB vote had Measure BB ahead with about 90% of the vote in early Tuesday returns posted by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office. The measure would change the city’s business tax system if it clears the simple majority it needs to pass.
Measure BB in Emeryville
The Emeryville City Council voted unanimously in July to place Measure BB on the ballot. Emeryville’s tax code now has 56 business categories, and Measure BB would reduce that to seven while changing the rates businesses pay.
Under the proposal, General Commerce and Retail and Utility businesses would pay 0.1% of gross receipts a year. Services, Contractor and Unclassified categories would pay 0.3%, while Real Property Rental and Professional and Advanced-type categories would pay 0.4%.
Business rates and tax limits
Measure BB would also raise the maximum tax a business could pay from $300,000 to $800,000. Small businesses with annual gross receipts of $100,000 or less would pay $25. The tax rates for cannabis businesses, massage parlors and card rooms would not change.
That mix of changes is why the measure is described as a modernization step, even as it would increase the ceiling on what some businesses owe. For employers, the practical result would be a smaller set of categories but a different tax bill depending on which group they fall into.
Hayward’s Measure CC
Emeryville and Hayward both asked voters to approve new business tax measures on the ballot, and Hayward’s Measure CC was also ahead in early returns on Tuesday night with about 65% of the vote. Mark Salinas, Aisha Wahab and Elisa Marquez were listed among the endorsements on the Yes on Measure CC website.
Measure CC would be the first update to Hayward’s business license tax since 1978 if approved, and it is estimated to raise an additional $12 million a year for Hayward’s general fund. Whether Measure BB ultimately passed after the early returns on Tuesday night is not stated, so Emeryville businesses are left with a live count and a tax structure that would change sharply if the vote holds.
