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House Democrat – Not Phil Bryant – Created Sales Tax Holiday

Terry Cassreino — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:16:03 +0000

PHIL BRYANT

From Better Mississippi Report:

As Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Bryant swings across the state taking credit for this weekend’s sales tax holiday, Better Mississippi Report wants to set the record straight.

Other than serving as president of the state Senate, Bryant had NOTHING to do with the legislation.

State Rep. Percy Watson, a Democrat from Hattiesburg and chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, sponsored the sales tax holiday legislation. He and other Democratic Party leaders in the House are the reason this passed and became law.

Below is as news release state House leaders issued today. It explains it all in detail.

JACKSON (Monday, July 25, 2011) – Mississippi residents across the state will save money when they buy back-to-school clothing for their children on Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30, during the state’s third Sales Tax Holiday.

Retailers will not charge the state sales tax on clothing and footwear that cost less than $100 an item. While geared toward helping families prepare their children for the upcoming school year, the sales tax holiday also applies to adult clothing and footwear.

“This is a great way to help ease the financial burden of parents as they prepare their children to start a new school year,” said state Rep. Percy Watson, D-Hattiesburg, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee and author of the 2009 legislation that created the sales tax holiday.

The 2009 bill, House Bill 348, suspends the state sales tax of 7 cents on the dollar for the purchase of clothing and footwear – including pants, shirts, blouses, dresses, coats, belts and shoes – that sell for less than $100 each. The sales tax holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 29, 2011, and ends at midnight Saturday, July 30, 2011.

The sales tax holiday does not apply to school supplies, computers, jewelry, handbags, wallets, backpacks and other similar merchandise. If residents purchase any of those items on Friday or Saturday, they must pay the full state sales tax.

Five cities in the state have chosen not to participate in the sales tax holiday: Bolton, Crenshaw, Enterprise, Heidelberg and Magnolia. People who purchase any goods and services in those cities – including items eligible for the sales tax holiday – must pay the full state sales tax.

“This event has been successful since its first year in 2009,” Watson said. “I’m glad that leaders and members of the state House of Representatives supported this and worked hard to see that it passed the state Senate and was approved by the governor. This kind of legislation helps everyone.”

Watchdog vs. Lapdog in Lt. Gov. Campaign

Terry Cassreino — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:48:46 +0000

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal:

The campaign for lieutenant governor has devolved into a debate over whether Treasurer Tate Reeves, the front-runner to capture the open lieutenant’s governor’s seat, is a watchdog for the taxpayers or a lapdog.

Reeves’ Republican primary opponent, Senate President Pro Tem Billy Hewes of Gulfport, has run a television ad saying Reeves, who has claimed that watchdog mantle for himself, is actually a lapdog.

“He is telling the voters that he has been a staunch voice for decreasing government debt,” Hewes said. “But the record shows a drastically different Tate Reeves. One would think our treasurer would be a little more accurate about his numbers.”

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BILL MINOR: Madison Lawyer Claims Reeves Bungled Investments

Terry Cassreino — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:47:00 +0000

BILL MINOR

Bill Minor, syndicated columnist:

In the Republican race for lieutenant governor, Billy Hewes is on the right track to unmask his opponent, Treasurer Tate Reeves, for claiming to be the “taxpayers’ watchdog.”

Previously, published reports have shown Reeves fattened his campaign war chest with contributions from people who handle state bond business that the treasurer oversees.

But Hewes should rattle another money management tree in Treasurer Reeves’ official domain where documentation indicates Mississippi taxpayers were short-changed at least $2.5 million from investment commissions in a 2006-2007 period and the self-proclaimed “watchdog” failed to bark. Trouble is no one seems to know who’s pocketing the money.

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GOP Eyes Control of Miss. House

Terry Cassreino — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:42:26 +0000

The Clarion-Ledger:

In addition to picking a new governor and lieutenant governor for the next four years, Mississippi voters will elect a new Legislature when they head to the polls this fall.

At this point, there are 83 contested races in the state House and 35 in the Senate, stretching from North Mississippi to the Gulf Coast.

Of those, 20 House seats and seven Senate spots will be decided in the Aug. 2 primary. The rest will be determined in November

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DAVID HAMPTON: Defining a ‘Person’ No Decision for Voters

Terry Cassreino — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:41:05 +0000

David Hampton, editorial director, The Clarion-Ledger:

The most contentious and divisive political issue in the country is abortion. It is a religious/moral/ethical issue that does not lend itself to logic, or reason, middle- ground compromise or practical politics.

It also does not lend itself to voter initiatives, but that is what Mississippi voters face with the so-called “personhood” amendment.

In November, Mississippi voters could be asked to amend the state constitution to define a person “to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”

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EDITORIAL: State Revenue Going Up

Terry Cassreino — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:39:24 +0000

The Clarion-Ledger:

We might not want to call it the Mississippi Miracle just yet, but news that state revenue has perked up should end some “poor mouthing” by politicians that there won’t be enough money to adequately fund education next year.

State government ended the fiscal year June 30 with about $62 million in the bank, officials say.

As The Clarion-Ledger reported, collections were higher than expected for the month of June, with $581 million in revenue, or 4.2 percent, above the projection.

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Hattiesburg: MDOT Supposed to Pay for Landscaping at Closed Crossings

Terry Cassreino — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:37:25 +0000

Hattiesburg American:

Last year, the Mississippi Department of Transportation informed residents and city leaders that it was spending more than $3 million to modify 29 railroad crossings in Hattiesburg.

The modification that received the most outcry from residents was the closing of 10 railroad crossings throughout the city.

Illinois Central/Canadian National Railway proposed the project to MDOT in an effort to make travelers safer by eliminating redundant crossings and installing active warning devices.

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New History Curriculum Being Taught in Schools Statewide

Terry Cassreino — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:36:22 +0000

The Clarion-Ledger:

Americans from east to west celebrated the July 4 holiday with fireworks, barbecue and lengthy discussions of the American colonists’ grievances with the Colonial British.

Well, maybe that is not precisely how it went.

Many Americans are lacking in the knowledge of their nation’s early days. According to a survey published in Newsweek magazine in March, 44 percent of Americans could not define the Bill of Rights and 6 percent couldn’t circle Independence Day on a calendar.

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7th Guilty Plea Expected in Telemarketing Scam

Terry Cassreino — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:35:17 +0000

The Associated Press:

A 39-year-old man is scheduled to plead guilty Monday in Mississippi in a telemarketing scam that allegedly targeted senior citizens around the country, telling them they had won cash prizes but had to pay taxes and fees to claim the money.

Prosecutors say the scam netted tens of thousands of dollars from victims in California, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Court records said George Coe Jr. is scheduled to plead guilty Monday in federal court in Aberdeen. He is charged with conspiracy and wire fraud, and would be the seventh person to plead guilty in the case.

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Couple Allegedly Underfed Tot, but 2 Doctors Dispute Findings

Terry Cassreino — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:33:55 +0000

The Clarion-Ledger:

The only time each week Dominique Caldwell gets to see her 2-year-old son is for an hour and a half at the Harrison County office of the Department of Human Services.

She and her husband are accused of underfeeding their son, although his weight never registered below normal, according to court documents. The tangled tale has pitted the findings of a Biloxi pediatrician who contacted DHS against an El Paso, Texas, pediatric specialist who diagnosed Nathanial with digestive disorders.

For now, the fight has left Caldwell alone with her husband, Justin, stationed in Iraq, without their son and without the means to find and afford an attorney to represent their side.

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