The County No Longer Charges a Utility Tax
Pursuant to a referendum vote of the people at the March 5, 2002 election, the County of Santa Cruz discontinued collecting a utility tax effective April 19, 2002. All utility companies from whom the county was receiving a utility tax have been notified. Therefore, no one in the unincorporated areas should be billed for a utility tax after that date. It should also be mentioned that the county utility tax was never levied on cellular phones.
The Santa Cruz County Superior Court recently ruled that utility taxes recently collected by the county were improper and that claims can be filed for refunds. However, at this time the county can only refund utility taxes that were paid within one year of the filing of the claims.