California Moves Closer to EGTRRA Conformity
The other two pieces of legislation deal with
private-section pensions and retirement plans as well as
other federal tax law alterations made between 1998 and
2000 that California hasn’t yet confirmed to.
The bill on the Governor’s desk allows public employees
in 457 plans to roll over eligible distributions to or from
457 plans, to 403(b) programs, or to an IRA.
The other two bills increase the permissible contributions
to 401(k) plans, Roth and traditional IRAs, and defined
benefit plans. Like EGTRRA, they allow shorter vesting
periods beginning this year. They also:
- allow investors older than 50 to save more than before,
- increase the contribution cap for education IRAs, and
- increase the portability of retirement plan balances when employees change jobs
To pay for the EGTRRA changes, lawmakers struck two business deductions and added a requirement about confirming Subchapter S or Subchapter C corporation elections made on federal tax returns to those on state tax returns.
The California bills also would allow:
- tax-free distributions from qualified state tuition programs – so-called 529 plans – rather than taxing them at the rate of the beneficiary,
- prepaid tuition plans of eligible institutions to be classified as qualified tuition plans, and
- rollovers between such plans
Lawmakers are pushing to enact conformity legislation quickly to minimize the amount of time during which state and federal laws differ, and minimize the confusion and potential consequences for taxpayers that want to take advantage of the new federal pension investment levels.