Why is the sales tax in Los Angeles County so much higher than that of Orange County or San Bernedino?

Question

i work at an internship for the state senator, and we recieved a letter from a teenager who was wondering about the above question. it is my job to write a letter in return informing her of the answer.

the problem is i don't have that answer :P. so please include the source so i can provide it in the letter and THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

Answer 1

If you are doing an internship for a state senator you should know the appropriate thing to do is to contact the Board of Equalization to get the official answer rather than coming to a place like Yahoo answers.

Counties and other municipalities can impose their own taxes that are included with the general sales tax rate.

Answer 2

It can't be "so much higher" as the maximum local option rate in CA is 2%.  The actual difference is only .5% between OC and LA

You can learn everything you ever wanted to know at the Board of Equalization website.  Here's a link:  http://www.boe.ca.gov/