August 02, 2023
California’s the only state that fully taxes military pensions. This bill would change that.
From the Civil War to the global war on terrorism, Californians have a long and proud history of coming to the nation’s defense in times of conflict. Indeed, California is home to more active-duty troops and veterans than any other state in the union. Yet the Golden State is hemorrhaging military retirees, and has been for years, because California is the only state in the Union that fully taxes military pensions.
Californians, like all Americans, have a moral obligation to care for those among us who have served and sacrificed so much for the nation.
With the state’s population declining in recent years, military retirees are an industrious group of citizens that California can ill afford to lose. As a California native and expert on military retirement policy, I believe exempting military pensions from state income taxes is one way to help address this problem.
Read the full article from The San Diego Union-Tribune.
More from CNAS
-
Commentary
National Security Human Capital Program
Key Elements of the 2026 National Defense Authorization ActThis article was originally published on War on the Rocks. Although contemplating the personnel requirements of a large-scale conflict — and with it, the potential for casualt...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Reports
National Security Human Capital Program
Short SupplyExecutive Summary The U.S. military faces a critical challenge: Fewer young Americans are willing to serve, and fewer adults are encouraging them to do so. Because of delibera...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski & Taren Sylvester
-
Commentary
National Security Human Capital Program
Defending the Army’s Command Assessment ProgramThe concept for CAP — developed during the first Trump administration — benefited from the guidance, input and oversight from the foremost scholar and practitioner on military...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Video
National Security Human Capital Program
‘Women Don’t Just Achieve…They Excel’: Fmr. Marine Corps Attack PilotDr. Kyleanne Hunter, former Marine Corps attack pilot and CEO of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, says “women are the fastest growing group of veterans” and “the fastes...
By Dr. Kyleanne Hunter
