Senate Bill On Vehicle Sales Tax Is A Power Prab

Op-Ed by David Larson appeared in 3/12/13 Southeast Missourian:

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For Missourians contemplating buying or selling a motor vehicle to another person, the purchase of that vehicle could become more expensive. On Feb. 18, the Missouri Senate passed Senate Bill 182, a bill regarding levying a local sales tax on all motor vehicles sales.

Why did the Senate pass this bill?

Quotes from several elected officials, business organizations and car dealers in a Southeast Missourian article titled “Sales tax fallout hits dealers, others” said a “level playing field” is needed between the car dealers in Illinois and Missouri. Whenever officials allude to fairness, bad things happen. One can conclude these officials support a statist approach to concentrating economic controls in a centralized government. Being “fair” to car dealers in Missouri can encourage centralization of all markets at the state level.

The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things. This bill violates the rights of local governments by intruding upon their taxing authority. The senators want to dictate to local officials how to run their communities. This is a huge usurpation of power by the state.

Each local government in Missouri has made a social contract with its citizens. The contract provides for public order, protection of property and access to public services. Citizens and local governments determine the limits on rights and duties of each other.

More Here… http://www.semissourian.com/story/1948831.html