Hold on folks, public policy debates are like a roller coaster ride! The day after our last update, Jim Galloway, one of Atlanta’s top political reporters, picked up on the current move at the Capitol for E-Fairness and filed a mixed report on his AJC blog, Political Insider. Among the points about Amazon.com and the DC based anti-tax groups, Galloway made the observation: “Internet sales also constitute a philosophical loophole that Republicans in the Legislature can’t ignore. Their long-term goal is to shift state government away from its reliance on property and income taxes, and toward consumption taxes. A foolish and inequitable thing to do if you can’t tap the fastest-growing area of retail sales.”

An astute political point on revenues, but not the main issue of FAIRNESS! The report did continue by quoting State Representative Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City): “He (Ramsey) has small shop owners in Fayette County who complain that they now serve as showrooms for their Internet competitors. Shoppers will come to their stores to get a feel for the item – a grill, a drill, a toaster – and then place their order, via their smart phones, with an Internet store for the tax-free discount. “That’s just not fair to me. I think that is tantamount to corporate welfare,” Ramsey said.”

Again, the Governor also stood with Main Street by pointing out the obvious: “It’s current law that all retail sales are supposed to pay a sales tax,” said Deal spokesman Brian Robinson. “It’s about collecting taxes that some outlets aren’t paying when they are supposed to.”

Fortunately, the opinions of Georgia’s retail and small businesses were highlighted this week by Appen News in North Fulton with a great piece by Joe Mediate co-founder of the children’s’ store Koo Koo Bear Kids. As well, Griffin City Commissioner Dick Morrow invited AMSF to come on his weekly program on WKUE Radio to share the message for E-Fairness with their Spalding County and South Metro listeners.

Georgia businesses need online sales tax fairness

Appen News, by Joe Mediate, Founder of Koo Koo Bear kids

My entire career I believed in good competition, but also that competition should be fair. Current government tax policy favors out-of-state Internet stores while penalizing those of us who own businesses in Georgia.

It's time for the federal government and state to reform the laws and ensure that Internet retailers compete fairly.

http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-BUSINESS-c-2012-02-11-191502.114126-sub-Georgia-businesses-need-online-sales-tax-fairness.html

Atlanta Journal – Political Insider Blog

http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2012/02/13/at-the-capitol-amazon-com-versus-the-world/