Ordlock v. Franchise Tax Board

Opinion

GEORGE, C. J.

California personal income tax law references its federal counterpart as the basis upon which to calculate a taxpayer’s state taxable income and, ultimately, the state income tax owed for a specified tax period. California law does so by recognizing the amount reported as taxable income in the taxpayer’s federal income tax return and then applying adjustments to that amount as required by state law. Accordingly, in the majority of cases, a determination in an audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that a California taxpayer’s federal personal income tax liability is…