[Northkeep] State Legislator Concerned With Tax Collection Law (Long)

[John Yates]

Greetings,
   Following below is part of a release sent out from
the State House of Repreentatives Media Office I
received.
   The part specifically mentions the measure that has
caused so much concern about amongst SCA people
regarding merchanting at Northern events.
   Perhaps noteworthy is that the legislator is State
Representative Larry Ferguson. He is from Cleveland,
which as you know is near the Will Rogers Boy Scouts
Camp.
   Note the mention of other legislators at the bottom
as well.
   Would Robert Fitzmorgan please contact me off-list?

Regards,
Valstarr
_______________________________________________________

   Ferguson said he is much more concerned about a new
law that imposes tax collection responsibilities and a
new fee on small community events. House Bill 1356, a
companion bill to House Bill 1593, requires promoters
or organizers of special events to obtain a $50 permit
for each event and collect and report sales tax
collections from event vendors. 
   "I have a hard time understanding how we as a state
can require small communities to do our work for us,
then require them to pay a fee to do that work,"
Ferguson said.
   The legislation defines a special event as an
"entertainment, amusement, recreation, or marketing
event" at which property is sold.
   Included in that definition are gun shows, knife
shows, craft shows, antique shows, flea markets,
carnivals, bazaars, and art shows.
   The veteran rural lawmaker said the new law applies
to the many arts and crafts events, festivals and
celebrations that are the backbone of rural
communities. He said the events are social in nature,
not commercial, but noted that some are held as
fund-raisers. While vendors have always had to remit
sales tax on items, Ferguson said charging fees to the
host of the event is damaging. "They don't have a
large, paid staff to organize and run these events,"
he said. "The more paperwork and burden we place on
event volunteers, the less likely we are to have
people willing to volunteer."
   Under HB 1356, the promoter or organizer of any
event is responsible for forwarding vendors' daily
sales tax reports and payments, tax permit information
and a completed sales tax report to the state Tax
Commission within 15 days of the event.  Ferguson, who
also voted against this measure, said that perhaps
the law could be amended to provide an exemption for
events that generate less than a certain amount of
sales tax.
  "Any time we pick on small businesses or rural
Oklahoma, we are making it more difficult for people
to survive outside the metropolitan areas," he said.
"I don't think putting an unnecessary
burden or tax on small communities who want to hold an
activity is the way to help our state thrive."
   The former House minority leader had sharp
criticism for his colleagues who voted for both sales
tax bills and questioned whether lawmakers had taken
the time to read and understand the legislation before
voting for it. "I don't see how anyone who represents
rural Oklahoma could be for either of these bills," he
said. Ferguson observed that several members who had
voted for HB 1593 have asked for its repeal.



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