Here’s one that’s hard to believe: California’s sales tax rate has actually gone down. Proposition 30, approved by voters in 2012 to help fund schools, had a built-in expiration date of December 31, 2016. So with the new year the sales tax rate has gone from 7.5% to 7.25%. In some cities and counties the rate is higher because of locally imposed taxes. For example, the City of Anderson has a public safety tax so their rate is going from 8% to 7.75%.