Where does it stop?
It had to happen. When the legislature gave one of the richest women in the world a tax break on art purchases -- in secret -- in 2005, you knew it wouldn't stop there. If Rep. Horace Hardwick of Waltonville can get the Crystal Bridges museum's art purchases exempted from the sales tax, what about other art museums? And what about other worthwhile charities with a few billion dollars fewer assets than Alice Walton possesses?
So it has happened. Rep. Sid Rosenbaum, who's distinguished himself to date mainly by beating a resolution honoring Founding Father Thomas Paine (Paine is too rational for Sid), has introduced a bill to exempt the Arkansas Arts Center, the YMCA and the City Year program for youth from the sales and use tax. At least he's named the beneficiaries up front, something Hardwick failed to do with his wink-and-a-nod tax break for billionaires. (Mary Anne Salmon is carrying this bill on the Senate side.)
Comments
Anyone know if Sid is related to Carl and Charles Rosenbaum of LR?
Posted by: Deathbyinches![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 13, 2007 12:55 PM
And the twisted buffon probably thinks he is doing a great thing exempting all manner of folks from taxes. Then all the other members of the two ring circus can get on board and delete their constituents taxes. Just another Republican scheme to dismantle government.
You remember a few decades back his same ilk church [which has a penchant for harboring anti-semetic semites] had a campaign, Speak Up for Decency. But that was just an attempt to curtail free speech and the Constitution. If you get rid of the government then you don't need the Constitution. Tom Paine and everyone gone. Now that's real decency!
Posted by: Janus![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 13, 2007 01:04 PM
If we get right down to it, many other states exempt all 501(c)3 organizations from sales and use tax automatically. Taxing non-profits to death (most of which already operate on the most limited of budgets) is bad for Arkansas anyway. If the only way to get around it (aside from a long, grueling fight to get all 501(c)3s exempted) is to be specifically exempted by legislative act, I can't blame any of the above not-for-profits for doing so.
Posted by: litesalt![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 23, 2007 10:55 AM