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Jeff,<br><br>
I imagine if we try hard enough we'll eventually find something else we
can agree on as well. A fault in your argument re losing sales if Walmart
or any other business closes is the assumption that the foregone sales
simply disappear instead of being found in increased sales at another
local business.<br><br>
Mark<br><br>
At 9:46 AM -0800 1/8/06, Jeff Harkins wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Mark,<br><br>
Granted - it is a slippery slope - but the impact back to local taxpayers
is immediate - the loss in sales tax distribution for the County doesn't
result in reduced budgeted expenditures for the County - it results in an
immediate increase in the property tax burden for Latah and Moscow
property owners.<br><br>
Add to that - if the Moscow WalMart (or any other business) closes and is
replaced by businesses located in Whitman County (or Pullman) our tax
base is reduced and the remaining property owners pick up that loss.
<br><br>
Bottom line - any loss of tax revenue in Latah County will be shifted to
another tax revenue source - usually property tax. <br><br>
Should we lobby for a local option sales tax - absolutely - and that is
something you and I appear to be in absolute agreement on!<br><br>
Hard to believe huh!<br><br>
<br>
At 08:56 AM 1/8/2006, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Jeff,<br><br>
Using the latest numbers available (FY2004), Moscow's general fund (which
does not include water, sewer, solid waste income streams) received a
whopping 3.9% of its income from sales tax distribution. Sure, pennies
are pennies and they all add up but to hold out increasing sales tax
revenues as a panacea for local government financial woes is not an
argument I would like to stand behind. Until the Legislature gives voters
a local option sales tax as a revenue source, the sales tax is a state
income source with a bone thrown to local government.<br><br>
Mark<br><br>
At 12:26 AM -0800 1/8/06, Jeff Harkins wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Mark,<br><br>
The tax code in Idaho is complicated and so it is not surprising that
many are confused about how the dollars get allocated.<br><br>
Please refer to
<a href="http://www3.state.id.us/cgi-bin/newidst?sctid=630360038.K" eudora="autourl">
http://www3.state.id.us/cgi-bin/newidst?sctid=630360038.K</a> where the
allocation of the state sales tax is described.<br><br>
At a minimum, counties and cities receive about 14% of sales tax
collected. Distribution to specific counties and cities is usually
based on the proportion of state population and/or proportion of assessed
value. While the distribution formula should probably be based on
sales generated, the use of population and assessed value probably tracks
retail sales pretty closely.<br><br>
Here is an excerpt from the State Tax Commission on the revenue sharing
program:<br><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=6>Tax Revenue Sharing<br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times">In fiscal year (FY) 2004,
11.50 percent of Idahos sales tax revenue was distributed to local<br>
governments based on the states temporary 6 percent sales tax rate.
About 3.24 percent of Idahos<br>
total sales tax revenue was distributed directly to cities. Half of this
amount was distributed according<br>
to population, and the other half was based on the market value of
property within each city.<br>
Another 3.24 percent of the sales tax revenue was distributed directly to
the counties. Each county<br>
received a guaranteed annual amount of $30,000. The rest was distributed
according to population.<br>
In addition, 4.13 percent of the sales tax was distributed to counties,
eligible cities, and nonschool<br>
taxing districts according to a complex formula based on amounts received
in 1999, current<br>
population (for cities and counties), and current property taxes (for
other eligible nonschool taxing<br>
districts). For more information on the formulas used for the
distribution, contact the Idaho State Tax<br>
Commission.<br>
Also, eligible taxing districts received $13.4 million annually in
quarterly distributions from state<br>
sales tax revenues to replace property tax on agricultural equipment that
was exempted from property<br>
tax by legislation in 2001. And, small amounts of lottery withholding and
estate tax were distributed<br>
to eligible counties.<br>
Distributions were made after the end of each quarter, so the FY 2003
fourth quarter portion of these<br>
totals was distributed in July 2004.<br><br>
</font>So - bottom line Mark - if the pie is smaller, we get less
pie!<br><br>
<br>
At 05:53 PM 1/7/2006, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">The day that sales tax revenues
stay where they were collected you might have an argument. But they
don't.<br><br>
Mark Solomon<br><br>
At 1:26 PM -0800 1/7/06, Jeff Harkins wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">And the sales tax revenue
lost????<br><br>
At 12:56 PM 1/7/2006, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Do we have ESP, or what, Tom???
*laughing*<br><br>
Wal-Mart should go out there on the highway if they<br>
insist on being here. A Wal-Mart Superstore in Idaho<br>
is not fair to those who work there. Drive a few more<br>
miles to Washington, For discussion sake, let's say<br>
$2.00 more an hour minium wage. So.... $16.00 more<br>
dollars a day. That $80.00 more a week per FTE?<br>
$320.00 more a month, for a 40 hour employee, not bad.<br>
Not bad at all.<br><br>
Idaho residents working in Washington still pay Idaho<br>
state taxes.<br><br>
One store, in the middle of both cities, is better<br>
than 2, ten miles apart.<br><br>
The current site for a Super-store is not acceptable<br>
to me.<br><br>
Janesta Carcich<br><br>
--- Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com> wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""> >From today's (January
7, 2006) Moscow-Pullman Daily<br>
News
-</blockquote>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
-----------------------------------------------<br><br>
<br><br>
Shopping Center Plans filed for Pullman-Moscow<br>
Highway Site<br><br>
<br><br>
Application includes a Lowe's home improvement store<br><br>
Staff report<br><br>
<br><br>
Tow months of rumors an speculation about the<br>
possible development of a<br>
shopping center on the Pullman-Moscow Highway are<br>
confirmed with the<br>
application from a Boise developer to build one on<br>
the site.<br><br>
<br><br>
Whitman County Engineer Mark Storey said Hawkins<br>
Companies submitted an<br>
application for a conditional-use permit and filed<br>
an environmental<br>
checklist required under Washington's State<br>
Environmental Policy Act. The<br>
application was filed Wednesday.<br><br>
<br><br>
Speculation started in late October when a sign<br>
appeared on the site near<br>
the Idaho border announcing plans for development of<br>
a shopping center. The<br>
sign disappeared two weeks later.<br><br>
<br><br>
The company's website displays plans for a complex<br>
just west of the Idaho<br>
state line. The design includes three large retail<br>
stores, one of which has<br>
been earmarked for a 135,000 square-foot Lowe's home<br>
improvement center.<br>
The plans also include space for eight smaller<br>
retails stores ranging from<br>
20,000 to 30,000 square feet and eight smaller "pad"<br>
areas.<br><br>
<br><br>
Lowe's declined to comment on a possible store in<br>
the Pullman-Moscow area,<br>
although a company representative did say the home<br>
improvement chain plans<br>
to expand throughout the United states in 2006.<br><br>
<br><br>
Storey is reviewing the application and said it will<br>
take between two and<br>
two-and-a-half months for the application to move to<br>
a public hearing before<br>
the Board of Adjustment.<br><br>
<br><br>
Representatives of Hawkins Companies have not<br>
responded to requests for<br>
interviews.</blockquote>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
-----------------------------------------------<br><br>
<br><br>
Anybody taking odds on how this will affect<br>
WalMart's application for a<br>
super center?<br><br>
<br><br>
Take care, Moscow.<br><br>
<br><br>
Tom Hansen<br><br>
Moscow, Idaho<br><br>
<br><br>
***********************************<br>
Work like you don't need the money.<br>
Love like you've never been hurt.<br>
Dance like nobody's watching.<br><br>
- Author Unknown<br>
***********************************<br><br>
<br><br>
></blockquote>
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