California retroactively increases taxes all the way back to 2008

I can understand why these businessmen thought that their accounts had misread the tax law.  This is just too unbelievable.  What do you think that this will do to people's willingness to invest in California in the future?  From The Hill newspaper:

The state’s tax officials have announced that they are retroactively canceling a tax incentive for startup companies in the state, and now presenting those companies with tax bills that date back to 2008 – plus interest. 

If that sounds like a declaration of war on entrepreneurs in the Golden State, you wouldn’t be far off as far as Brian Overstreet is concerned. 

Overstreet is the tech entrepreneur widely credited with having broken the story on a holiday season decision by the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to retroactively rescind a tax program that had incentivized companies to stay and grow in the state. The FTB about face was driven by a court decision that said the tax incentive was inappropriately granted only to companies with 80% of their assets in California. . . .  

“If you followed the law, did nothing wrong, and created jobs in California, you received a legal reduction in the state tax on capital gains you paid when you sold your company.” Overstreet explained to me. “Now, five years later, you get a bill for new taxes plus interest for up to five years.” . . .