The state already applies a 7.25 percent tax to software sold in physical stores, and now Governor Gavin Newsom wants to expand this to web-based software sales as well, Bloomberg reports. The proposed tax wouldn’t apply to streaming services and is expected to raise $2 billion annually. [Link: Newsom Pitches Software Tax to Raise Billions in New Revenue | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-14/newsom-pitches-software-tax-to-raise-billions-in-new-revenue | Bloomberg]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said it's unfair how some people avoid paying the state sales tax when buying software.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed taxing digital software downloads to match in-store software sales taxes.