Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Feb 1, 2003
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/german-high-court-convicts-walmart-predatory-pricing/
Germany’s highest court has ruled that Wal-Mart’s below-cost pricing strategy undermines competition and violates the country’s antitrust laws.
Two years ago, the federal Cartel Office accused Wal-Mart and two other large supermarket chains of selling goods below cost and ordered the companies to raise their prices. The items in question included about a dozen staple products like milk, butter, and vegetable oil.
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Rule
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Independent Business
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admin
|
| Updated on
Dec 9, 2002
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rule/tax-base-sharing/2302-2/
Sponsored by Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, AB 680 would establish a system for sharing sales tax revenue among the 18 municipalities in the Sacramento metropolitan region. Because of limitations on how much revenue cities can raise through property taxes, California cities are especially dependent on sales taxes. Continue reading
Rule
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
admin
|
| Updated on
Dec 9, 2002
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rule/tax-base-sharing/2301-2/
Regional tax-base sharing was implemented in the seven-county Twin Cities metro in 1971. Each community contributes 40 percent of the growth of its commercial and industrial property tax base after 1971 to a regional pool. Continue reading
Rule
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
admin
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| Updated on
Dec 2, 2002
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rule/internet-sales-tax-fairness/post-2241/
Unlike the United States, the European Union never considered making the internet a tax-free zone. To exempt internet sales from taxation, in the European view, would be to violate the principle of neutrality, as described in an OECD report on the "framework conditions" for electronic commerce. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Nov 17, 2002
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/16994/
Local Retailers Can’t Grow in the Shadows of Supercenters By Stacy Mitchell Originally Published in the Duluth News Tribune, November 17, 2002 Big box retailers are rapidly rolling out stores throughout Minnesota. Wal-Mart and Target are leading the pack with plans to build hundreds of new “supercenters” nationwide. These giant 200,000-square-foot stores are twice the… Continue reading
Article
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Independent Business
| Written by
admin
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| Updated on
Nov 1, 2002
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/yaya-bike-coop-charts-rapid-growth/
The number of businesses belonging to purchasing cooperatives has doubled in the last ten years, to about 50,000, according to Paul Hazen of the National Cooperative Business Association. In the hardware and grocery sectors, long-established co-ops like Ace Hardware, have provided an essential line of defense against large chains and made the difference between survival and failure for countless independent merchants. The co-op model is now spreading to other retail sectors.
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Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Nov 1, 2002
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/big-box-opponents-win-two-lose-two-election-day/
EASTON, MARYLAND — Home Depot suffered a resounding defeat at the ballot box in Talbot County, Maryland, on Tuesday in what residents hope will be the company’s final attempt to build one of its giant stores in this rural Eastern Shore community.
In 1999, after Home Depot and other big box retailers proposed stores in the town of Easton, the City Council enacted a big box moratorium and subsequently adopted an ordinance barring stores over 65,000 square feet.
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Article
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Independent Business
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admin
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| Updated on
Nov 1, 2002
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/tackling-problem-commercial-gentrification/
Rising commercial rents are generally a good thing; they are an indication of the health of a business district and encourage landlords and banks to invest in building improvements.
But in some communities, commercial rents are rising too far too fast. Often this sudden run-up is driven by chain retailers, which discover the appeal of an area and sweep in by the dozens, offering above-market rents for choice spots and sparking a frenzy of speculation.
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Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
admin
|
| Updated on
Nov 1, 2002
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/norfolk-neighbors-organize-stop-walgreens/
In less than a week, residents of Norfolk, Virginia, have gathered nearly 400 petition signatures against a proposed Walgreen’s store. The chain plans to bulldoze a marble and tile building in the historic Ghent neighborhood and build a 14,500-square-foot store with a double drive-through and large parking lot.
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Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
admin
|
| Updated on
Nov 1, 2002
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/critical-small-business-loan-program-cut/
The Bush Administration has cut the federal government’s largest and most important small business loan program by more than 60 percent. This year, the program will back only $4.4 billion in loans, compared to nearly $12 billion last year.
The program, known as 7(a), is run by the Small Business Administration and guarantees loans of up to $2 million made to small businesses. It is the largest source of long-term working capital for small businesses in the nation, accounting for some 40 percent of available financing.
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