One more reason tax holiday is a lousy idea: It's not fair

Existing L.A. businesses that have been burdened by an ill-conceived gross receipts tax will continue to be burdened. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is pushing to make permanent a tax holiday - but only for businesses that arrived within the last three years. That's not fair, says an LAT editorial:

It's that unfairness - Los Angeles' penchant for a sort of randomness in policy - that really makes businesses question the value of setting up shop here. No doubt they like being courted and they like being offered incentives. But businesses old and new really need from City Hall the same things that residents deserve and are too often denied: simple permitting, quick and reliable answers to questions, understandable and fairly applied laws. A supportive, navigable and fair city government would go much further toward attracting and retaining businesses than would relief for some, but not for others, from business taxes.

Earlier: Villaraigosa wants to make tax holiday permanent