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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Dec 1, 2001

Arkansas Enacts Sales Tax Fairness Legislation

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/arkansas-enacts-sales-tax-fairness-legislation/

Arkansas has enacted a law that clarifies that retailers with stores in the state must collect sales taxes on any online purchases made by state residents.

As noted in the story above, under a 1992 Supreme Court decision, Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, states cannot compel out-of-state companies to collect sales taxes unless the company has a physical presence, or "nexus," in the state.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Dec 1, 2001

Sustainable Business Alliance Forms In Northern Minnesota

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/sustainable-business-alliance-forms-northern-minnesota/

Little more than six months after its inaugural meeting, the Northland Sustainable Business Alliance (NSBA) has grown to include more than 100 locally owned businesses located in and around the city of Duluth.

NSBA advocates a new approach to economic development that strengthens locally owned businesses while protecting and enhancing the region’s social and environmental assets. The group eschews the conventional growth-at-all-costs model of development.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Dec 1, 2001

San Francisco Supervisor Calls For Big Box Impact Review

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/san-francisco-supervisor-calls-big-box-impact-review/

San Francisco Board of Supervisor’s President Tom Ammiano has proposed a citywide ordinance that would require retail development projects larger than 50,000 square feet, with the exception of supermarkets, to undergo an impact review and obtain a conditional use permit before building.

The ordinance notes that large retail stores could impact traffic, reduce the diversity of the city’s economic base by eliminating smaller businesses, and preclude higher value industrial development on the few sizable parcels of urban real estate available. For these reasons, according to the ordinance, large retail stores warrant added scrutiny. 

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Dec 1, 2001

Voters To Decide On Size Cap In Agoura Hills

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/voters-decide-size-cap-agoura-hills/

Citizens for Responsible Growth, a grassroots group in Agoura Hills, California, has collected enough signatures to put a measure before the voters that would limit retail stores to 60,000 square feet. The vote will be held March 5.

The city council vehemently opposes the ordinance, contending that it will reduce future sales tax revenue and invite legal challenges. Dozens of communities have enacted size caps, which have consistently been upheld by the courts as a valid use of local land use authority.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Dec 1, 2001

Home Depot On The Ballot In Mountain View

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/home-depot-ballot-mountain-view/

The Mountain View City Council voted to place a ballot measure before voters next March that would authorize rezoning land to allow the construction of a 125,000 square foot Home Depot store. Mountain View is a community of about 30,000 located north of San Jose, California.

After failing to win approval from the city council, Home Depot has been gathering signatures to put the matter directly to voters.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Dec 1, 2001

Consumer Reports Ranks Independent Bookstores #1

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/consumer-reports-ranks-independent-bookstores-1/

In an extensive survey conducted by Consumer Reports, 88 percent of respondents said they were either completely satisfied or very satisfied with their experience at independent bookstores. Independents not only out-ranked internet and chain bookstores, but their exceptionally high rating put them "on a par with the highest-rated stores from any Consumer Reports survey in recent years."

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Oct 23, 2001

How Boulder Businesses are Staying Ahead of the Chains

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/how-boulder-businesses-are-staying-ahead-chains/

IF YOU VISIT BOULDER, COLORADO, you can’t miss it. It’s displayed on the door or window of nearly every locally owned business in town: the Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery on Pearl Street, Heritage Bank on 9th, Albums on the Hill. Stop for coffee at Sidney’s Cafe and it’ll be on the side of your cup. At the Boulder Book Store and you’ll find it on the complimentary bookmarks. Open up the Boulder Weekly and you’ll see it in an advertisement for local video and music stores.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | 1 Comment | Updated on Oct 1, 2001

Thousands Camp In Big Box Parking Lots

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/thousands-camp-big-box-parking-lots/

Wal-Mart has become one of the nation’s largest campground operators. Every night thousands of recreational vehicles (RVs) set-up camp in Wal-Mart parking lots. The practice, which first began in the late 1980s, has grown rapidly in recent years. In places like Durango, Colorado and Anchorage, Alaska, Wal-Mart parking lots are jammed full of RVs night after night.

Parking overnight at Wal-Mart is free, so campers save the $20 to $35 fee charged by traditional campgrounds.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Oct 1, 2001

Sales Tax Fairness Update

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/sales-tax-fairness-update/

Efforts to apply sales taxes equally to both bricks-and-mortar and online retailers have made substantial progress since our last update (see January 2002 issue), yet it is likely to be several more years before a level playing field becomes a reality.

The Supreme Court has ruled that states cannot compel out-of-state companies, including internet and catalogue retailers, to collect state and local sales taxes.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Oct 1, 2001

Wal-Mart Settles Predatory Pricing Charge

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmart-settles-predatory-pricing-charge/

Wal-Mart admits no wrongdoing and will not pay a fine in a settlement reached with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection over a predatory pricing complaint filed by the agency last year. The company will, however, face double or triple fines for any future violations, according to the terms of the agreement.

The complaint accused Wal-Mart of selling butter, milk, laundry detergent, and other staple goods below cost at stores in Beloit, Oshkosh, Racine, Tomah, and West Bend.

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