4 Jul 2000

Think Locally, Tax Globally

by | Date: 4 Jul 2000 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Web retailers in the U.S. are largely exempt from collecting state and local sales taxes. In allowing this exemption, Congress agrees to give out-of-state businesses a 5 to 7 percent price advantage over local stores. Proponents of the exemption argue internet-based suppliers would stagger under the administrative burden of collecting thousands of different state and local sales taxes; opponents of the exemption argue that the electronic commerce companies don’t need help siphoning business away from already-struggling downtowns. … Read More
18 Apr 2000

The Impact of Chain Stores on Community

by | Date: 18 Apr 2000 | posted in: Retail | 5 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In this classic talk, delivered at the annual conference of the American Planning Association, Stacy Mitchell describes how, contrary to conventional wisdom, the decline of independent businesses isn’t inevitable or the result of free market forces. Rather, public policy decisions have played a major role — and a growing number of communities are deciding to take a different approach. … Read More
17 Mar 2000

Bucking the Chain Store Trend

by | Date: 17 Mar 2000 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Chain stores are sprouting up on the American landscape as fast as vicious weeds. Their proliferation has made traveling an unsettling experience – a constant deja vu of arriving in places virtually identical to the ones left behind. So it was with my first trip to Colorado. I drove from the Denver airport to Boulder, through an area with the same placeless landmarks found everywhere: Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, Petsmart, Office Max and Starbucks.… Read More
5 Nov 1998

Place Matters Conference Summary

by | Date: 5 Nov 1998 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, governance, Retail, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The Place Matters Conference, held on November 12, 1998 in St. Paul, Minnesota, drew together a mix of businesses, organizations and individuals who, by their very nature, believe that place does indeed matter. These participants were all firmly anchored in their communities, representing small businesses, financial institutions, community-based nonprofits, farmers, and local governments in Minnesota. They were a mix of people who did not normally interact, yet had much in common. They shared a remarkably similar recent history: economic and public policy trends that had made their long-term viability much more tenuous and uncertain.… Read More

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