Around Town

By: Ernie Wren

There is an interesting topic that has been a popular point of discussion on social media and around coffee tables in Ashland.  The city is looking at a proposal to install a new sales tax on goods purchased via the internet.  This proposal is expected to be voted on by the citizens of Ashland in 2022.  Those in favor of this new tax cite the need for the city to collect its “fair share” and for there to be a “level playing field” between online outlets and brick-and-mortar stores.  Those opposed to a new online sales tax state that their purchasing decisions are generally not made based on sales taxes, but rather, convenience and price.  They also point out that bottom-line, it is not the online retailers that will be paying the tax, it will be the citizens, and that the online retailers are simply “collectors” of the new tax.  Some also feel this is more of a mechanism for the city to increase tax collection under the heading of “fairness”.  This is an interesting topic at both the local and state level, as Missouri will become the last state in the nation to collect online sales taxes starting in 2023.  There have been several Missouri cities that have already passed laws to begin collection of online taxes.

See more in this weeks Boone County Journal