Retailers have long argued that exempting online purchases from sales taxes gives online retailers an unfair advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.
Jason Brewer of the Retail Industry Leaders Association says, ”A store manager has the power to say, ‘I’ll match that price,’ but they don’t have the power to say, ‘I won’t charge you a sales tax,’ ” he says. “They go to jail if they do that.”
February 14 News from ROAR: The Carolina Two-Step
(Click above for complete newsletter)
The Post & Courrier submits a timely editorial. It’s not enough to continue our piecemeal targeting of one or two taxes, to lower here and have to raise there. We must address our tax code honestly, fairly, and comprehensively (looking at all legs of the stool)!
Closer to home, South Carolinians should have learned over the last decade or so that sales tax can be a very erratic revenue producer. The sales tax is especially vulnerable to economic slowdowns. When times are tough, people buy less, lowering the sales-tax take.
That doesn’t mean our state isn’t long overdue for comprehensive tax reform aimed at revenue-flow stability and economic vitality.
Our legislative leaders tell businesses in York County not to expect real tax reform anytime soon!
The result, heard by business owners who attended the 25th annual York County Day, is “nothing will be passed on tax reduction,” said Sen. Creighton Coleman, D-Winnsboro. Any bills introduced “will lay the foundation for next year.”
House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said a “handful of items to make South Carolina competitive” will be filed in the House. But as for any comprehensive tax reform, “we’ve learned that massive legislative bills collapse under its weight.”
More of the same, South Carolina. Demand action, not words.
A good first step: we’ve gotten the word out, but now we have to keep the pressure up!
Introducing bills is great PR, passing them is great leadership. We can’t be satisfied with spin: demand action!
The editorial board in Anderson gets it. Piecemeal tax cuts lead to piecemeal tax hikes. It’s time to stop playing the shell game and overhaul the system COMPREHENSIVELY - lowering rates across the board, removing exemptions, and making sure our tax code is truly fair.
“Sure, we love the idea of no more income taxes. Who wouldn’t?
Yet no matter how it’s phrased, taxes are never really “eliminated” — not on food or gas or income or anything else. The lost revenue is just transferred to another area of potential funding.
And that area is almost always somewhere deep in consumers’ pockets.”
A final followup on SCSBA’s plan for a $600 million tax hike. The editorial board at the Aiken Standard asks the same question ROAR’s been asking… where’s the money?
Until we get our economic house in order, it’s time to stop spending money we don’t have and unite behind comprehensive tax reform!
Read the editorial here: http://www.aikenstandard.com/story/0126-schoolspending-editorial-column—3742137
The Three Legs of the Stool:
ROAR’s Jan. 24th Newsletter
(Click photo for link)
A follow up and yesterday’s article from the Aiken Standard:
http://www.aikenstandard.com/story/1025-school-board—3740695
Some salient points: (emphasis ours)
School Board Chair Rosemary English [asked] “Would the state really come up with their portion of the funding needed?” That’s a crucial issue that hasn’t been answered yet. In effect, the General Assembly would have to, at some point, find some $600 million to [pay for the plan].
[SCSBA attorney Scott Price] acknowledged that the SCSBA plan doesn’t suggest any specifics on where the state funds would come from. Any action on that issue would have to be part of the legislature’s own push toward comprehensive tax reform, he said.
They realize they’re trying to spend money they don’t have.
They realize South Carolina desperately needs comprehensive tax reform.
But instead of joining the ROAR and focusing their efforts on fixing our broken system, they continue to distract and dilute our efforts.
Well, at least they must have serious legislative support to make their counter-productive efforts worthwhile.
[SCSBA has] been shopping around to legislators, hoping to get a bill filed.
::Sigh:: Why bother trying to fix the leaky ship when there are windmills still to be chased?
