Incentives
Imperial Valley is one of the fastest growing counties in the State of California offering a vast number of business and trade opportunities. There are several state and federal initiatives in Imperial County that promote economic development through incentives for employers. The following incentives are available for qualifying existing and new businesses.
The California Competes Tax Credit is an income tax credit available to businesses that want to come to California or stay and grow in California. For more information and application documents, visit: www.business.ca.gov/programs/californiacompetestaxcredit.
ETP is a business and labor-supported state agency that funds the costs of vocational training. ETP is funded by a tax on employers, collected alongside the Unemployment Insurance tax. ETP provides additional incentives to assist small businesses and employers in high unemployment areas of the State including Imperial County.
Foreign trade zones provide financial and logistical incentives for foreign and domestic manufacturers as well as distributors. Advantages include relief from inverted tariffs, duty exemption, duty deferrals, unlimited storage and alternative site framework.
The Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. Benefits include competitive and sole source contracting and 10% price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions.
The NMTC Program increases investment in operating businesses and real estate projects located in low-income communities by permitting individual and corporate investors to receive a federal tax credit (equal to 39% of investment) for making equity investments in specialized financial institutions called Community Development Entities (CDEs).
The RMDZ program provides economic incentives and technical services to businesses that divert waste from California’s landfill while adding jobs and revenue to the local economy. This program can help conserve resources and increase your bottom line at the same time. More information is available at socalrmdz.com
Imperial County has 5 designated Opportunity Zones. Opportunity Zones are census tracts that are economically-distressed communities where new investments may, under certain conditions, be eligible for preferential federal tax treatment or preferential consideration for federal grants and programs.
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers core and discretionary programs authorized by WIOA. It also authorizes programs for specific vulnerable populations, including the Job Corps, YouthBuild, Indian and Native American Program, the Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) program, and Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker programs. These programs provide career and training services to millions of job seekers. These services include job search assistance, workforce preparation, and career development services. Additionally, training services available include both classroom and work-based learning opportunities. In addition to serving individual job seekers, these programs help businesses find the skilled workers they need by referring qualified job seekers, filling job orders, and through tailored work-based learning strategies. These services are available to workers and businesses through a network of approximately 2,400(AJCs) nationwide, also known as One-Stop Career Centers.
Contact us for more information and program assistance.