Single Remittance Point for Sales and Use Taxes Could Be in Place by Next Fall in Alabama
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12/10/13 Capitol Retail Report March 23, 2012 Single Remittance Point for Sales and Use Taxes Could Be in Place by Next Fall in Alabama Legislation Introduced Thursday Has Backing of Legislative Leadership By fall of next year, Alabama retailers could go to one place to file Healthcare Reform sales and use taxes. Pharmacy Services If the Alabama Legislature approves HB 597 by Rep. Jack Williams, R-Birmingham, the state will have an electronic single point of filing Sales Tax Holiday program in place by Sept. 30, 2013, for retailers to file their city, county and state sales and use taxes. Sen. Slade Blackwell, R- Taxpayers' Bill of Rights Birmingham, is expected to introduce a Senate companion. Williams introduced the bill Thursday, the midpoint for the 2012 regular E-911 Fees session. Common Sense Use of the system, to be known as the Optional Network Election for Consumption Single Point Online Transactions, or ONE SPOT, will not be mandatory and will be offered at no cost to taxpayers or the local E-Fairness taxing jurisdictions. The Alabama Department of Revenue is to Hiring Veterans develop the rules necessary to implement the system. Child Labor Law This legislation was the top recommendation of the Initiative to Streamline Government's tax and regulatory subcommittee, chaired Capital Credits by Blackwell. The streamlining initiative was created by Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh, R-Anniston. The legislation also Small Biz Startups is part of the Alabama Republican Party's 2012 agenda and has the full support of House Speaker Mike Hubbard. ARA's 2012 Small Business Loans Legislative Agenda also calls for streamlining the administration and remittance of sales and use taxes, including creating a single Tax-Exempt remittance point. Diabetes Products The legislation is the first step toward the single sales and use tax Assistive Devices administrator recommended by the Alabama Streamlined Sales and Take Home Wine Use Tax Commission and is among the steps that would be necessary under legislation pending in Congress to require all Legal Notices retailers to collect sales and use taxes. Previous Issues The Capitol Retail Report Archive is reserved for members only. Remember to log-in to read past issues. file:///F:/USERS/Alison/Capitol Retail Report/2012/March/March 23/20120323CRR-Web.html 1/9 12/10/13 Capitol Retail Report As this legislation was introduced, If you are an ARA member Alabama Retail Association but have never visited representatives were returning from alabamaretail.org before, the Alliance for Main Street Fairness please register so you can Fly-In in Washington, D.C.: ARA take advantage of all of your President Rick Brown, ARA Executive members-only benefits. Committee Designee George Wilder (right in photo), owner and operator of The Locker Room in Montgomery and Auburn and TLR Outdoors in Montgomery; Doug Markham (center), executive vice president and chief administrative officer for House Birmingham-based Books-A-Million Inc.; and Bob Robicheaux (left), Ph.D., chairman of the Marketing, Industrial Distribution and HB 89 Economics Department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham HB 105 School of Business and author of "Estimates of Alabama Losses HB 140 Due to E-Commerce." HB 152 They spoke with several members of the Alabama congressional HB 242 delegation or their staff, including Sens. Jeff Sessions and Richard HB 266 Shelby and Reps. Mo Brooks, Martha Roby Mike Rogers, to raise HB 268 awareness of the need for federal e-fairness legislation. They also HB 290 heard from U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., (Marketplace HB 307 Fairness Act, S. 1832) and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack (Marketplace HB 325 Equity Act, H.R. 3179), co-sponsors of two of the e-fairness bills HB 354 pending in Congress. More than 60 small-business owners from 15 HB 393 different states participated in the fly-in. HB 436 HB 450 Urge Alabama's state lawmakers to support HB 597 HB 597 and its congressional delegation HB 600 to support S. 1832 and H.R. 3179. Senate You may encounter your local lawmakers in their districts next week as the Alabama Legislature will be in spring recess. SB 48 SB 73 SB 100 ARA AGENDA IN ACTION SB 163 SB 174 House Judiciary Approves Taxpayers' Bill of Rights II SB 237 SB 264 SB 309 The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday unanimously SB 350 approved a substitute version of HB 105 by Rep. Paul DeMarco, R- Homewood (pictured), which creates an independent and qualified tax appeals court and makes needed changes in Alabama's tax Federal appeals process. The bill, known as the Alabama Taxpayers' Bill of Rights II, is part of ARA's 2012 Legislative Agenda. The original H.R. 2206 Taxpayers' Bill of Rights was enacted in 1992. This updated version H.R. 3179 now awaits consideration by the full House. H.R. 3606 S. 1832 The legislation, similar to a bill by the same name that died on the last night of the 2011 session, abolishes the current Administrative Law Division of the Revenue Department and shifts its appropriation, Sponsor urges GOP personnel, equipment and tax appeal support for federal net tax functions to the commission, aligning bill Alabama with the vast majority of states that have an independent tax appeals process for businesses Sweeping Georgia tax bill, and individuals. The bill provides uniform and fair treatment of all including Internet sales Alabama taxpayers and saves both administrative and legal costs for tax, hurtles toward law file:///F:/USERS/Alison/Capitol Retail Report/2012/March/March 23/20120323CRR-Web.html 2/9 12/10/13 Capitol Retail Report the average taxpayer who wishes to challenge a tax assessment. Georgia small business owners praise e-fairness Twenty-eight members of the Business Associations' Tax Coalition victory (a business trade association group chaired by ARA President Rick Brown), the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Speaker Hubbard Alabama Bar Association, the Council on State Taxation and "pleased" with legislative chambers of commerce in four major Alabama cities are among the session many groups supporting this legislation. Alabama Legislature offers >> Read Taxpayers' Bill of Rights II Issue Brief tax credit for hiring vets Alabama Senate panel OKs House to Consider Giving Retailers tax credits for film industry 4% Allowance to Collect E-911 Fees Alabama Senate passes When the Alabama House of Representatives returns from its spring sales-tax break for aircraft break April 3, the first bill on its agenda will be HB 89 by Rep. Mike parts Millican, R-Hamilton, which regulates E-911 services and fees. Wisconsin home beer Under this legislation, retailers, rather than carriers, would collect the brewers seek changes to E-911 fees for prepaid wireless communications services at the alcohol laws point of sale. ARA negotiated a provision that allows the retailer to Compromise sought on deduct and retain four percent of the prepaid wireless 911 charges farm winery legislation collected from consumers to cover the retailer's expenses for collecting and remitting the fees, along with sales taxes, to the Insider: Birmingham Alabama Revenue Department. The House Boards, Agencies and attorney readies Commissions Committee added an ARA-negotiated amendment to winemaking operation the bill that also would allow retailers to choose not to include the E- 911 fee on sales of prepaid wireless devices that only have 10 Alabama lawmakers minutes or less, or $5 or less of minutes. Monitoring this legislation closer to passing storm is part of the ARA's 2012 Legislative Agenda. shelter bill >> Read ARA's full 2012 Legislative Agenda Alabama Senate passes plan giving more power to Sentencing Commission PHARMACY JOBS bill to help small Pharmacy Services Permit Bill on Way to Full Senate businesses raise cash clears Senate Legislation to save up to 278 jobs at the Walgreens Customer Care PPACA turns two today. Center in Muscle Shoals is one step closer to final passage. Will it reach three? Wednesday, the Senate Health Committee amended and approved HB 393 by Rep. Lynn Greer, R-Rogersville, which will create a Health-care changes may pharmacy services permit for call centers and other such entities that not all disappear even if perform some pharmacy services, but do not receive, inventory or justices overturn the law dispense drugs, medicines, chemicals, poisons or medical devices. The bill now goes to the full Senate. GOP plan OK'd by House panel Existing state pharmacy permits require pharmacists and pharmacist technicians on site, a requirement that makes call House panel approves centers cost prohibitive. Although specifically written to keep the contentious GOP budget Shoals call center open, the bill would apply to any such pharmacy plan support facility that doesn't dispense or keep drugs. Companion legislation by Sen. Tammy Irons, D-Florence, SB 350, also awaits consideration by the full Senate. House OKs Bill Making Insulin, Other Diabetes Products Tax-Exempt Rick Brown Thursday on a vote of 97-0, the Alabama House approved HB 307 by President file:///F:/USERS/Alison/Capitol Retail Report/2012/March/March 23/20120323CRR-Web.html 3/9 12/10/13 Capitol Retail Report Rep. Ron Johnson, R-Sylacauga, which exempts prescribed insulin, Alison Wingate insulin syringes, blood or urine testing supplies and related items Vice President used to treat diabetes from any state, county, and municipal sales and use taxes. The legislation applies retroactively to open tax Nancy Dennis periods. "This bill clarifies that these items are prescription items and Dir. of Public Relations fall under the prescription sales tax exemption," Johnson told the House, adding that governing bodies didn't start trying to collect Brett Johnson sales tax on these items until the past year.