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April 3, 2008 - For immediate release...
Press conference locations and contacts
(all are on Thursday, April 3):
- Tri-Cities: 10:00 am Eastern, at the
Tri-Cities Regional Airport, Mezzanine Level, 2nd floor
next to the observation deck.
Contacts: Kimberly Douglass (TFT staff) at 865-705-9205
or Greg Williams (TFT Board) at 423-943-7622.
- Knoxville: 1:30 pm Eastern, at TFT's
Statewide Office in Fountain City, 116 Hotel Road, Knoxville
Contact: Kimberly Douglass (TFT staff) at 865-705-9205
- Chattanooga: 9:30 am Eastern, at the
Chattanooga-Hamilton Co. Bicentennial Library, 1001 Broad
Street, Chattanooga
Contacts: Brian Miller (TFT staff) at 865-712-8006 or
Ron Naylor (TFT volunteer) at 423-280-1801.
- Nashville: 1:00 pm Central, in Room
30 of the Legislative Plaza
Contact: Brian Miller (TFT staff) at 865-712-8006
- Jackson: 1:00 pm Central, at the Jackson-Madison
Co. Library, 433 E. Lafayette St., Jackson
Contact: Bill Howell (TFT staff) at 615-289-1397
- Memphis: 10:30 am Central, at the Poplar-White
Station Branch / Memphis Public Library, 5094 Poplar Ave.,
Memphis
Contact: Bill Howell (TFT staff) at 615-289-1397
"Close loopholes - Feed families," Coalition
Says
News events in six cities to launch campaign for food
and business tax fairness
In six cities across the state Thursday, Tennesseans for
Fair Taxation (TFT) supporters gathered with small business
people and other grassroots organizations to launch a new
campaign to enact another reduction in the state food tax,
this time funded by closing corporate tax loopholes that
give large, multi-state corporations an unfair advantage
over locally-owned businesses.
"This makes a lot of sense to me. I own a small construction
contracting company and a property management company here
in Nashville and this bill would help me and other small
businesses across the state compete," states Ran Batson
of RB Construction. "It's a matter of fairness. With
my business, I have to pay the full 6.5% excise tax on whatever
profits I make. I'm not complaining about that because I'm
a part of this community too. What bugs me is that these
large corporations pay a fraction of what I pay because
of these corporate tax loopholes."
Over the past few months, a growing number of business
owners have formally endorsed the Food & Business Tax
Fairness Act, including business people such as Kevin Whaley,
owner of FASTECH, Inc. in Knoxville; Guy Wiggins, owner
of Wiggins & Son, Inc. in Athens; Jennifer Goucher,
owner of Goucher Group, LLC in Knoxville; Joyce Johnson,
owner of Creations by JJ, LLC in Columbia, and Michele Mapstone,
owner of Smokey's Sports Pub & Grill, Inc. in Knoxville.
Pat Taylor, owner of Startec Satellite in Lewisburg, sums
it up well when she adds, "When it's wrong, it's wrong."
The full list of endorsing businesses is on the TFT web
site.
"We're glad to have so much support from the small
business community," says Dave McIlwaine, Board Chair
of Tennesseans for Fair Taxation. "When you think about
it, it makes a lot of sense. Most small businesses don't
have Delaware Holding Companies to use as tax shelters,
or armies of high-paid corporate tax accountants to take
advantage of these loopholes. Closing them is a matter of
fairness."
The Food & Business Tax Fairness Act is a bi-partisan
plan in the Tennessee General Assembly sponsored by Sen.
Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) and Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley),
Chairman of the House Finance Committee. The plan will enact
another reduction in the food tax, paid for with revenue
recovered from closing a series of corporate tax loopholes.
"Last year, we achieved a major victory in helping
pass the state's first food tax reduction," states
Greg Williams, a TFT Board Member. "That was a good
thing, but it's time to take the next step." Tennessee
is one of 19 states that still taxes groceries, down from
20 after South Carolina repealed its food tax last year.
Of the states that still tax food, Tennessee has the third
highest state and local food tax in the country, even after
the recent reduction. Williams adds, "When you add
it all up, the food tax amounts to 28 days worth of groceries
each year. When groceries make up a fourth of your family
budget, paying 28 days worth of groceries takes a big bite.
That's why we can't stop with the 1/2% food tax reduction
we won last year. It's time to take the next step."
As part of the new campaign, TFT is taking its message
to the public with a new YouTube video explaining how big
corporations have been able to dodge state taxes, and how
the proposed reform would fix the problem. The video, which
lasts about 8 minutes, is available at www.fairtaxation.org/foodbiz/ or at www.youtube.com/taxfairness/.
TFT is also scheduling educational workshops at community
forums across the state. Those that are interested in scheduling
such a workshop should call 888-671-5188.
Business leaders and organizations that wish to sign up
in support of this new campaign can add their names through
the business
sign-on form or organizational
endorsement form on the TFT web site.
Resources and Links:
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