According to a study by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, the expiration of the 2017 Trump tax cuts could mean a $3,769 tax hike for the average California filer. With families already burdened by a high cost of living and looming tariffs, the added tax pressure could curb consumer spending and ripple through local businesses.

The Center Square reports:

The typical California tax filer’s taxes would rise $3,769 if the 2017 Trump tax cuts expire, a new study says.

The study from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, a pro-taxpayer organization, analyzed the impact that the expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2017, would have on taxpayers on a state-by-state basis.

The TCJA lowered tax rates and doubled the standard deduction, which 90% of tax filers use instead of itemizing their deductions. The child tax credit would also halve from $2,000 to $1,000. As a result, NTUF found that 80% of Americans would face tax hikes if the TCJA is not renewed by the end of 2025.

“Altogether, individual and business taxes would rise by $500 billion annually, reducing U.S. GDP by 1.1% and wages by 0.5%,” wrote NTUF. “Since states benefited from TCJA-driven economic growth and tax base expansions, expiration means facing the opposite trends.”

This tax hike could strain California households already grappling with the state’s high cost of living and potential tariffs, which in turn could reduce consumer spending and impact local businesses.

The NTUF study follows a report from the National Federation of Independent Business finding that the California small business tax rate would surge to 52.9% if the TCJA and its 20% small business tax deduction is not renewed, while the corporate tax rate would be 29.84%.

The NFIB report, conducted by Ernst and Young, found the higher taxes would apply to 4.2 million California small businesses.

The TCJA has insulated small businesses from skyrocketing costs of living and doing business since the pandemic, NFIB California Director John Kabateck told The Center Square. He added that greater losses in private sector employment could impact funding for critical public services.

“We would have seen more people in the unemployment line and small businesses and employers fleeing California. This has proven to give them the ability to stay open and keep operating,” Kabateck said during an interview. “When small business owners thrive, consumers thrive, and so do our public services. If this were to expire, we will see fewer jobs and businesses on Main Street, which means less dollars going to our public coffers.”

Earlier this year, the state-funded Legislative Analyst’s office announced it is projecting lower corporate and sales tax revenue, highlighting the state’s economic weakness.

Jobs data also suggests the state has been in a downturn, with a loss of 149,900 private sector jobs in just the past year.

A Nevada law requiring parents to be notified when a minor seeks an abortion—originally passed in 1985—has been paused after a federal judge allowed Planned Parenthood to appeal. The law, which does not require parental consent, is now under challenge as Nevadans face a crucial vote on whether to permanently enshrine abortion access in the state constitution.

The Center Square reports:

A long dormant Nevada abortion law requiring minors to notify their parents of an abortion has been put on pause – for now.

The law, which has never been enforced, was set to come into effect Wednesday after a federal judge’s ruling March 31. That move was paused Friday after a different federal ruling granted Planned Parenthood a chance to appeal.

The law, Senate Bill 510, was passed in 1985 and sponsored by Republican state Sen. Ray Rawson. But it was never enforced because an appeals court found it was unconstitutional based on the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973. 

When Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 by the U.S. Supreme Court, it opened the door for state-level enforcement of laws such as SB 510.

The law would require a minor’s parents to be told about the youth’s decision before an abortion, but would not require parental approval.

An estimated 18% of national abortions are performed on teenagers, as per a 2016 Guttmacher Institute study. When forced to tell their parents about an abortion, 9% of teenagers would instead conduct the procedure themselves, Stanford University reported. 

Laws requiring parental notification are present in 36 states. The Nevada bill would have an option for teens to get a court order to authorize the abortion without telling their parents.

U.S. District Judge Anne Traum ruled to postpone enforcement of SB 510 while an abortions-rights advocate group, Planned Parenthood, challenges the law in the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

At the same time, Nevadans await a major vote to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution.

Voters passed the constitutional amendment in November. If the measure passes again in 2026, it would make a reversal of the right to an abortion on the state level difficult for pro-life advocates.

The constitutional amendment would not change abortion laws or access. Nevada allows for abortions up to 24 weeks into pregnancy, the full second trimester, with extensions for cases that threaten the mother’s life.