The liberals who have been leading the state of North Carolina for far too long don’t understand business or the economy in our state. All they understand is tax revenue and the varied ways they can increase it. We have the 6th highest unemployment rate in the country. Thanks to our larger prevalence of banks, financial companies and real estate related firms, we have been hit especially hard by the economic downturn. The furniture industry, farmers and other sectors in our economy have also suffered a great deal. So after raiding the highway funds, taking money from the “education lottery” for non educational purposes, and raising taxes on a whole slew of items… the state I was once proud to call home is raising taxes again. And this time its gone to far.
New legislation will ad a sales tax on virtually all services costing every North Carolina family more and taking revenue from North Carolina businesses. This will have a devastating effect on the already hurting home improvement/building companies and other labor related fields. It will also hurt everyone from car repair people, hair stylists, lawncare professionals and even courier/delivery services. The result will be less consumer spending in these sectors and ultimately less revenue for the state, not more.
But that’s not all. In the language for the new tax plan is a scheme claiming “nexus” on all companies that advertise online and have a sale in North Carolina. This means that if Amazon places an advertisement on a website that prompts a North Carolina individual to make a purchase, then Amazon will have to collect North Carolina sales tax notwithstanding FEDERAL LAW and precedence to the contrary. If Amazon were to accept this “nexus” language and continue running advertisements in this state, it could further open them to other taxes, restrictions and control by the state government where they have no physical presence. So rather than allow themselves to be unlawfully taxed and unduly burdened by a state government that should have no control over their commerce, Amazon rightfully decided to suspend all affiliate marketing agreements in the state.
And Amazon isn’t the only one. I just received an e-mail from another company, CafePress, making the same move. Effective next week, they too will cease all affiliate marketing efforts in the state of North Carolina. And if history is any indication, all other companies utilizing affiliate marketing will follow suit.
The end result not being an increase in sales tax revenue for the state, but a decrease in the income and livelihood of state residents and the taxes they pay on that income. My livelihood is one of those included, and overnight I will see a large portion of my income disappear.
To put it in perspective, imagine for a second that you invested in some low-risk stock that paid dividends every month without fail. Now imagine that even though that investment had retained its value, you could no longer receive those dividends simply because of the state you live in. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN NORTH CAROLINA. Thousands of people like me invested time and money developing sites that generate meager but consistant revenue every day, and over time that revenue of 10 cents here and 2 dollars there adds up to real money. And even though the websites are still valuable and the sales still coming in, my dividends from that labor will vanish overnight thanks to this new tax scheme.
We are a household that faced the closing of a family business and loss of a job last year. We didn’t stop paying our mortgage payments or wait in the unemployment lines. We adjusted and made due. I worked everyday and through many nights in order to build something again. And after long hours and lots of hard work, we built something new to replace the income and stability we lost in this difficult economy. We even decided we could afford to have a child. Now, three months before the birth of that child, the state is passing a tax scheme that is taking all of that hard work away and making our income disappear.
Watch out America. This is my story today, but it could be your story tomorrow. Think Cap & Trade won’t do the same to hardworking families in the coal industry? Think ObamaCare won’t do the same thing to hardworking families in medical related fields? Think the so-called “auto bailouts” didn’t do the same to thousands of auto dealers, their families and their employees?
This is the problem with career politicians who have never made a payroll, run a business, or held a real job. This is the problem with people who think they can regulate everything even though they know nothing. This is the problem with citizens sitting idly by and not getting involved in the political process until its too late. This is the problem with people not taking a stand to do what is right for their country because it doesn’t effect them individually. THIS IS A PROBLEM.
Legislation has consequences and so do elections. Twice in less than two years I have seen government plans and intervention destroy economies and put people out of work. And its not done yet.
When will people get mad enough to make their voices heard? When will we take a stand for personal responsibility, free will, self determination and kick the government out of our lives?
Government interference has cost my family twice in the past two years. Is your family next? I made it through one job change, and even if it means moving, I’ll make it through another. But when the government comes knocking on your door and puts your company out of business, what will you do? Will you wake up then? Will you get mad then? Hopefully it won’t be too late.
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