Retailers Make Good Neighbors

Identity Theft - Instructions for Victims

In view of the staggeringly high and increasing number of identity theft cases reported by the Federal Trade Commission each year, we have to protect ourselves and take an active part in helping to resolve these crimes. The following set of guidelines is designed to assist in this process. You will also find a great deal of good advice on the FTC's web site, www.consumer.gov/idtheft , and you can reach the FTC Identity Theft Clearinghouse at 877-439-4338.

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Sears Holdings Pendergrass Direct Delivery Center Grand Opening

(Left to Right: State Representative Tommy Benton, State Senator Ralph Hudgens, Susie Haggard, Senior Regional Project Manager with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Sears Holdings Senior Vice President Jim Mixon, Jackson County Commissioner Tom Graves, Jackson County Commission Chair, Pat Bell)

On August 29, 2007 the Georgia Retail Association coordinated the participation of local dignitaries at the grand opening of the Sears Holdings Corporation 782,000 square foot Direct Delivery Center in Pendergrass, Georgia. Read more. . .

Larry O’Neal to Sponsor Organized Retail Crime Bill

Representative Larry O’Neal, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee has agreed to sponsor a bill aimed at reducing losses from organized retail crime (ORC) in the 2008 session. Due to lost tax revenue related to ORC, the bill makes O’Neal a logical and powerful sponsor of the legislation. O’Neal, a lawyer and a C.P.A., clearly understands the contribution that retail establishments have to the state’s economy and the impact that ORC has in reducing retailers’ bottom lines and the states tax revenue as well. Read more . . .

Jay Roberts to Re-Introduce Flea Market Bill

In bill related to Chairman Larry O’Neal’s organized retail crime (ORC) bill, Representative Jay Roberts, House Majority Caucus Chairman, has agreed to re-introduce legislation in 2008 that would limit the sale of certain items at flea markets.

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NRA Takes Aim ON GRA As Gun Bill and Divides Conservative Senators

One of the hardest fought issues during this legislative session pitted the Georgia Retail Association, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and other business interests against the NRA in a no-holes-barred fight over, what has been called, “the guns in the parking lot” bill. Read more . . .

An Introduction To FACTA (Fair & Accurate Credit Reporting Act)

In an accompanying article you will read how GRA has fought to suppress file freeze legislation for the last two or three years. Many legislators seem unable to grasp that identity theft is a crime with serious consequences for both the consumers and businesses alike. According to the national Identity Theft Resource Center, of the approximately 44 million Americans who have been the victims of identity theft at some point, each spent an average of 600 hours and $1,495 getting their finances straightened out. And that does not include attorney's fees. Read more . . .

GRA Stands Alone – Stops Rebate Bill

House Bill 567, sponsored by Representative Matt Dollar, would have required retailers to process and return rebates within 30 days of the postmarked date on the completed and submitted rebate form. The proposed legislation had received little attention, and it was presumed that the bill would not move. However, on March 13, 2007, the bill was placed on the agenda of the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee. This action, which came out of the blue, caught Georgia’s business interests and GRA by surprise. Read more...

The Employment Puzzle Enters a New Age

The challenge of addressing the complexities of recruiting an effective workforce has become more challenging in recent years. Over the last decade many businesses were able to address the issue of job fit by simply doing an end run around it due to the availability of workers. Now the labor force has begun to shrink and employers are beginning to experience not only fewer available workers but a shortage of qualified candidates. Read more . . .

Tax Panel Endorses End of Property Taxes

(L to R) GRA Board Member, Jeff Wansley of Equifax, Inc. with the House Ways and Means Panel: Larry O'Neal (Chair), James Mills, Ron Stephens and Martin Scott.

At the GRA Annual meeting and Legislative Conference, a panel of tax experts comprised of Ways and Means Committee Chair, Larry O’Neal, Economic Development and Tourism Chair, Ron Stephens, Banks and Banking Committee Chair, James Mills and Ways and mean Committee Secretary, Martin Scott, all called for the abolishment of the ad Valorem inventory tax. While they found the ad Valorem property tax to a special problem for the state, they went on to say that they support the abolishment of all property taxes.

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Georgia's Sales Tax Holiday

Stores at the Mall at Stonecrest advertise Georgia's Sales Tax Holiday.

Beginning 12:01am, Thursday, August 2 and ending at 12:00 Midnight on Sunday, August 5, Georgia consumers will once again be able to purchase clothing ($100 or less), school supplies ($20.00 or less) and computers ($1500 or less) tax free.

The Sales Tax Holiday has been a key piece of GRA's legislative agenda since 1999. Also included in this year's legislation is a seperate Energy Star Tax Holiday in October.

Click here for more information.

Georgia attorney general urges federal law to protect personal ID online
KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press

ATLANTA - Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker said on June 6, 2006 that he would urge Congress to increase protection of personal information on the Internet.

Baker, who will become president of the National Association of Attorneys General at the end of this month, said he and his counterparts in other states want federal legislation requiring that consumers be notified when their personal information, held in corporate databases, falls into the wrong hands.

Read more . . .

How to Prepare Your Business for a Natural (or man-made) Disaster

How quickly your business can get back on its feet after a hurricane, tornado, flood, fire, or even a terrorist attack depends on emergency planning done today. Small business owners invest a tremendous amount of time, money and resources to make their ventures successful, and yet, while the importance of emergency planning may seem self-evident, it may get put on the back-burner in the face of more immediate concerns. For small business owners, being prepared can mean staying in business following a disaster. An estimated 25 percent of businesses do not reopen following a major disaster, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety.

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Georgia 's Sales Tax Holiday on

ENERGY STAR ® Qualified Products

Georgia 's ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday is back and better than ever! The sales tax holiday will take place from Thursday, August 3 through Sunday, August 6, 2006 . During the holiday, Georgia's consumers will be exempt from paying the state and local sales tax on ENERGY STAR qualified products that cost $1,500 or less including dishwashers, clothes washers, air conditioners, ceiling fans, compact fluorescent light bulbs, dehumidifiers, programmable thermostats, refrigerators, doors and windows.

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Energy Star Guidelines

GRA Needs Your Help!

The Georgia Retail Association is sensitive to all issues that affect your bottom line. With this in mind we would like your opinions on the following Georgia retail issue:

The ad valorem personal property tax is a tax that is administered to all citizens of Georgia and businesses located in the state. One aspect of this tax is to tax all inventory at its cost that a business has in its possession. The tax rate is determined by the millage rate of the county that your business is located in.

Ad Valorem Tax Survey

Prospects for Federal Tax Reform in the 109th Congress
Rachelle B. Bernstein
Vice President, Tax Counsel
National Retail Federation

President Bush has made federal tax reform a priority in his second term. In his executive order establishing a bi-partisan advisory panel on federal tax reform, the President asked the panel to provide revenue neutral policy options that would meet his goals of simplification, progressivity (recognizing the importance of home ownership and charity), and economic growth and job creation. The panel has been asked to make its recommendations to the Treasury Department by July 31.

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Review of The Georgia Retail Association’s Success From Intervening In The 2004 Georgia Power Rate Case

The GRA’s intervention in the 2004 rate case was successful in establishing retailers as an important player at the Public Service Commission for the first time. We were one of the leaders at the table during all of the settlement discussions, and substantially influenced the outcome of the case in many significant ways. In particular, we were able to prevent the traditional dumping of new costs on the commercial customers. Working with other interveners in the case, we prevented approximately $35 million in new revenue increases that Georgia Power proposed to shift to retailers’ electricity bills.

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Georgia Southern University Chapter of the GRA

The first year of the organization proved to be very successful. In the first semester, the chapter established a newspaper and hosted two speakers. President John Heavener came early in the semester to see our students and community. Joe Doyle, Director of Department of Consumer Affairs for the Governor, gave a presentation to over 300 students and faculty, had a luncheon with retailers in the community, and dinner with the members of the university chapter of GRA.

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Are You Plugged In To The Latest Legislative News?

Do you want to know what is happening at the state legislature almost as soon as it happens? Every Friday during the legislative session GRA emails a legislative update (Capitol Retail Report) that covers what has happened under the gold dome during the week. Are you receiving the Capitol Retail Report email?

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Loss Prevention Systems to Offer Electronic Article Surveillance

Checkpoint Systems, Inc., manufacturer of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) using RF Technology, has announced a dealer channel program. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LSPI) based in Marietta has been chosen as the company to sell, install and service systems for medium to small retailers in the southeastern United States.

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New Equifax Toolbar Powered by EarthLink Helps Consumers Combat Identity Theft

Identity theft is on the rise and "phishing" -- the practice of sending e-mails from what appears to be a bank or other trusted Internet site to gain access to personal information -- is quickly becoming a popular method of choice among identity thieves. Unfortunately, as these e-mails become more sophisticated, they are harder to detect.

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Retail Strong in Georgia
By Kyle Hensel, MBA

With retail sales totaling over $3.75 trillion in 2003, one can safely conclude that retail is big business in the country. Retail sales in 2003 demonstrated a healthy increase of over 4.7% from 2002’s $3.58 trillion. On the state level, Georgia also had strong sales in the year 2002 as it reached $115 billion in retail sales.

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2005 Legislative Conference and Annual Meeting

We would like to thank the following companies for their valuable contribution to the 2005 Legislative Conference and Annual Meeting. Without their sponsorships, silent auction items and door prizes the confence would not be possible.

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Wage & Hour Regulations for Overtime

In April the Wage & Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor issued the final rule amending the white collar exemptions (from overtime) (541 Regulations) which will become effective on August 23, 2004, assuming Congress does not kill them. The Senate already had voted to substantially modify these provisions, rolling back some of the admittedly modest expansions of the exemptions proposed.
The firestorm of criticism directed at the Wage & Hour for these rules may explain why they were last effectively changed in 1975.

Sears American Dream Campaign Brings the Good Life to Foster Families

Governor Sonny Perdue joined GRA President John Heavener and Board Member Ray Mahaffey in Columbus to Bring the Sears American Dream Campaign to the Peach State.

Georgia Retail Association Priority Issues

Sales Tax Holiday Top Priority for 2004

Enthusiastic support for the renewal of sales tax holiday among GRA members will make that issue a priority for the Second Session of the 2003-2004 Term.

Latino or Hispanic?
Retailers Should Get To Know
This Fast Growing Market

What is the correct term, Latino or Hispanic? This is a very good question to ask these days as the number of Spanish-speaking consumers continues to grow phenomenally in Georgia. Actually, the terms are interchangeable most of the time. But, more often than not, Latino is the more appropriate way to refer to this consumer.
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Unclaimed Property Laws Face Increased Scrutiny By States

PAY CHECKS, GIFT CERTIFICATES, LAY-A-WAY - Somehow, or in some way, most retailers and other businesses have been faced with the concept of unclaimed property. And you may not have known it.
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Will Georgia Taxpayers Lose Back-to-School Tax Break?