Press Release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) submitted a motion for an open, transparent vote to ease the overwhelming tax burden on New York’s small business owners, but was denied by the downstate driven Assembly Majority. The bill, of which Hawley is the sponsor, seeks to eliminate the vendor re-registration fee to collect sales tax while providing a refund to those who have paid the fee. The legislation is stuck in the Ways & Means Committee, denying New Yorkers the opportunity to see which legislators truly support our state’s small business owners.
“Business owners should not have to pay for the privilege of collecting sales tax on behalf of the state,” said Hawley. “The vendor re-registration fee is yet another disincentive to own and operate a business in New York. We had the opportunity today to show this state’s job creators that we are ready to re-open New York for business, and by denying a vote on this measure, we have failed to do so.”
The Tax Foundation’s “2011 State Business Tax Climate Index” ranked New York the worst in the nation. The 2008-09 Enacted Budget authorized the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to require all 585,000 vendors that collect state sales tax to re-register and pay a $50 registration fee. While it is set to expire next year, many business owners fear that it will be extended and permanently added to New York’s revenue stream.
