State Board of Equalization
News Release, For Immediate Release: August 14, 2015
BOE’s Open Data Portal Garners Best of California Award
Sacramento – The Board of Equalization’s Open Data Portal, OPEN BOE, has received the Best Application Serving the Public award from the Center for Digital Government. BOE staff accepted the award during the California Technology Forum 2015 conference on August 13, 2015 in Sacramento.
This award is given for the design or improvement of an application that more effectively delivers services to the public. The application is judged for its productivity, performance, innovation, functionality, and collaboration.
“This award is a testament to the BOE’s ongoing commitment to expanding access to public information through initiatives such as OPEN BOE that provide transparency and accountability,” BOE Chairman Jerome E. Horton said.
“We strive to do everything we can to provide Californians with the information they need,” said Vice Chair George Runner. “This award affirms those efforts.”
“Technology is an essential part of California’s economy and I am proud that we have hard-working tech-savvy employees who are making it possible for us to serve our constituents with award-winning technology applications that are informative and user-friendly,” stated Board Member Fiona Ma.
“Taxpayers deserve an open and transparent portal to access information on the taxes and fees they pay,” said Board Member Diane Harkey. “OPEN BOE has made great strides in this area.”
“When I initiated the concept of an open data portal, the purpose was to further transparency by making non-confidential tax data useful to a broad array of constituencies. I was confident that the project team could stretch to make OPEN BOE a government model for serving the public, and I could not be more proud of them,” said California State Controller Betty T. Yee, who served as BOE Member for the First District before being elected Controller.
OPEN BOE launched in May 2014 as a resource consolidating a range of historical data, such as taxable sales in California. The portal enables users to easily download or export data in various formats, including charts and graphs. The portal is continually evolving to improve functionality and provide more frequent data updates to the public.
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The five-member California State Board of Equalization (BOE) is a publicly elected tax board. The BOE collects $60 billion annually in taxes and fees, supporting state and local government services. It hears business tax appeals, acts as the appellate body for franchise and personal income tax appeals, and serves a significant role in the assessment and administration of property taxes. For more information on other taxes and fees in California, visit www.taxes.ca.gov.
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Contact: Cynthia Bridges, Executive Director, 1-916-327-8988