Margin Tax Initiative is bad for all of us
The proposed Margin Tax Initiative is just another example of the harebrained schemes from our educational establishment. It is, in essence, a gross receipts tax of 2 percent on every transaction, regardless of the seller’s projected cash flow.
How so? If a business cannot forecast that its annual gross revenue at the start of its fiscal year will or will not exceed the $1 million threshold (especially true for small businesses), the easiest thing for it to do is to add on a 2 percent tax on every transaction.
If, at the end of the year, the company exceeds the $1 million gross receipts threshold, it will then have the funds on hand to pay the tax. If the company does not reach the $1 million threshold, it can save the tax collected for future payments, or pocket it as a windfall.
It is a truism that companies don’t pay taxes; people do. The passage of the margin/gross receipts tax will result in every transaction (including services) being taxed at an additional 2 percent, bringing transactions that are currently exempted from sales taxes into the tax net.
Bottom line — every business will end up charging every customer the 2 percent add-on, union supporter’s wishes to the contrary. Vote no on the Margin Tax initiative; it’s bad for all of us.
Dave Thomson
Carson City