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HB 1002: SALES AND USE TAX - 1997 Special Session

Sponsor: Management Council

In the 1993 general session, the Legislature added a fourth cent of sales tax to the then-existing statewide three cents on the dollar (counties may impose up to an additional two cents by a vote of the people for general operations or capital facilities).

The 1993 legislation set the fourth cent to expire on June 30, 1996, unless continued by legislative action.

The fourth cent was renewed in 1995 for another two years (until June 30, 1998) because of looming budget deficits.

HB 1002, offered during the 1997 special session on education funding, extended the additional fourth cent again, until June 30, 2002.

The fourth cent will generate approximately $58 million annually for the General Fund and $22 million annually for local governments.

Sales tax is one of the two primary sources of revenue to Wyoming's General Fund (the other is interest from severance taxes deposited permanently in the Wyoming Permanent Mineral Trust Fund). It is also a critical source of revenue to local governments.

Sales of services (as opposed to tangible personal property) and a variety of other items are exempt from sales tax. The Joint Revenue Interim Committee looked at these exemptions in the 1994-95 interim and the 1995-96 interim and was unable to come to any agreement on possible changes.

Sales tax is generally considered a regressive form of taxation, especially when food and clothing are included, as they are in Wyoming. Sales taxes take a larger bite out of a low-income family's budget because those living on lower incomes tend to spend a larger proportion of their money on items subject to sales tax.

(For further information on the impact of sales taxes, please refer to the chart at the end of the Taxation & Revenue section which compares the relative effect of the property and sales tax increases proposed in 1998.)

Proponents of continuing the fourth cent of statewide sales tax argued that it was necessary to ensure adequate revenues for education and other purposes.

Those opposing continuation of the fourth cent emphasized the regressive nature of the tax, as well as the unfairness of enacting tax breaks for industry while raising taxes on citizens.

HB 1002 passed the House, 45-15, and the Senate, 24-6.

The votes listed below are the third reading (final passage) votes in the House and the Senate.

A YES vote means the legislator favored extending the fourth cent of statewide sales tax until June 30, 2002.

A NO vote means the legislator opposed extending the fourth cent of statewide sales tax.

 

BIG HORN BASIN LEGISLATORS

Vote

S18

Sen. Hank Coe (R)

Yes

H24

Rep. Peg Shreve (R)

Yes

H50

Rep. Pat Childers (R)

Yes

S19

Sen. Carroll Miller (R)

Yes

H25

Rep. Denny Smith (R)

Yes

H26

Rep. Chas. Hessenthaler (R)

Yes

S20

Sen. Gerald Geis (R)

Yes

H27

Rep. Ray Harrison (R)

Yes

H28

Rep. Mike Baker (R)

Yes

 

CASPER-AREA LEGISLATORS

Vote

S27

Sen. Gail Zimmerman (R)

Yes

H35

Rep. Dorothy Perkins (R)

Yes

H36

Rep. Bruce Hinchey (R)

Yes

S28

Sen. Keith Goodenough (D)

No

H56

Rep. Pat Nagel (R)

Yes

H57

Rep. Bob Tanner (R)

Yes

S29

Sen. Bill Hawks (R)

Yes

H37

Rep. Rick Tempest (R)

Yes

H59

Rep. Nancy Berry (D)

No

S30

Sen. Charles Scott (R)

Yes

H38

Rep. Carolyn Paseneaux (R)

Yes

H58

Rep. Ann Robinson (D)

No

 

CHEYENNE-AREA LEGISLATORS

Vote

S4

Sen. April Brimmer Kunz (R)

Yes

H7

Rep. Tony Ross (R)

Yes

H41

Rep. Mac McGraw (D)

No

S5

Sen. Donald Lawler (R)

Yes

H8

Rep. Larry Meuli (R)

Yes

H42

Rep. John Hanes (R)

Yes

S6

Sen. Rich Cathcart (D)

Yes

H9

Rep. Wayne Johnson (R)

Yes

H10

Rep. Pete Anderson (R)

Yes

S7

Sen. Guy Cameron (D)

No

H11

Rep. Wayne Reese (D)

Yes

H43

Rep. Kathryn Sessions (D)

No

S8

Sen. Jayne Mockler (D)

Yes

H12

Rep. Leo Garcia (D)

No

H44

Rep. Floyd Esquibel (D)

No

 

GILLETTE-AREA LEGISLATORS

Vote

S23

Sen. Larry Gilbertz (R)

Yes

H31

Rep. John Hines (R)

Yes

H52

Rep. George McMurtrey (R)

Yes

S24

Sen. Dick Erb (R)

No

H32

Rep. Jeff Wasserburger (R)

Yes

H53

Rep. Nick Deegan (D)

Yes

 

LANDER/RIVERTON-AREA LEGISLATORS

Vote

S25

Sen. John Vinich (D)

No

H33

Rep. Harry Tipton (R)

Yes

H54

Rep. Cale Case (R)

No

S26

Sen. Bob Peck (R)

Yes

H34

Rep. Frank Philp (R)

Yes

H55

Rep. Eli Bebout (R)

Yes

 

NORTHEAST/EAST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS

Vote

S1

Sen. Bill Barton (R)

Yes

H1

Rep. Marlene Simons (R)

Yes

H2

Rep. Ross Diercks (D)

Yes

S2

Sen. Jim Twiford (R)

Yes

H5

Rep. Jim Hageman (R)

Yes

H6

Rep. Jim Anderson (R)

Yes

S3

Sen. Curt Meier (R)

Yes

H3

Rep. Bill Stafford (R)

Yes

H4

Rep. Roger Huckfeldt (R)

Yes

 

SHERIDAN-AREA LEGISLATORS

Vote

S21

Sen. Tom Kinnison (R)

Yes

H29

Rep. Rick Badgett (R)

Yes

H51

Rep. Bruce Burns (R)

Yes

S22

Sen. John Schiffer (R)

Yes

H30

Rep. Bill Bensel (D)

No

H40

Rep. Douglas Osborn (R)

Yes

 

SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS

Vote

S9

Sen. Vince Picard (R)

Yes

H13

Rep. Mike Massie (D)

No

H45

Rep. Wende Barker (D)

No

S10

Sen. Irene Devin (R)

Yes

H14

Rep. Phil Nicholas (R)

Yes

H46

Rep. Tom Rardin (R)

Yes

S11

Sen. Bob Grieve (R)

Yes

H15

Rep. Tony Rose (R)

Yes

H47

Rep. Teense Willford (R)

Yes

 

SOUTHWEST WYOMING LEGISLATORS

Vote

S12

Sen. Rae Lynn Job (D)

Yes

H16

Rep. Kenilynn Zanetti (D)

No

H48

Rep. Jack Steinbrech (R)

Yes

S13

Sen. Ray Sarcletti (D)

No

H17

Rep. Fred Parady (R)

Yes

H60

Rep. Louise Ryckman (D)

No

S14

Sen. Mark Harris (D)

No

H18

Rep. John Eyre (R)

Yes

H39

Rep. Chris Boswell (D)

Yes

S15

Sen. Greg Phillips (D)

Yes

H19

Rep. Wayne Morrow (D)

No

H49

Rep. Ken Decaria (D)

No

 

WEST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS

Vote

S16

Sen. Delaine Roberts (R)

Yes

H20

Rep. Louie Tomassi (R)

No

H21

Rep. Randall Luthi (R)

Yes

S17

Sen. Grant Larson (R)

Yes

H22

Rep. Budd Betts (R)

Yes

H23

Rep. Clarene Law (R)

Yes


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