Tax Foundation Legal Victory: California City Must Refund Illegally Collected Tax

The California Supreme Court gave a victory to taxpayers yesterday, unanimously ruling (PDF) that the City of Long Beach must recognize class claims to refund illegally collected telephone taxes. We filed a brief in the case, McWilliams v. City of Long Beach, where the city refused to refund the tax unless each taxpayer individually requested a refund. Our brief noted that class claims foster accountability and that state law requires government revenue agencies to adopt a fair and transparent refund process that disgorge illegally collected revenue.

Congratulations to the Court and to the people of Long Beach!