The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced July 9 that it was delaying the effective date for the federal menu-labeling regulation for chain restaurants and covered grocery stores for one year. The FDA originally set Dec. 1, 2015, as…
A summary of legislative activity for the Alabama Legislature’s 2015 regular session, the Capitol Retail Report e-newsletter, is now available to read online. 2015 Regular Session Wrap-Up Alabama Retail members, during legislative sessions, please check your e-mail inbox every Friday for weekly updates on legislative…
2015 marks the 10th year of Alabama’s annual sales tax holiday for school-related items. Consumers can buy certain: school and office supplies computers books and clothing without having the tax added during the three-day tax holiday, which falls on the first…
Thanks to all your calls, e-mails, texts, Facebook posts and shares, the House Ways and Means Education Committee this morning carried over HB553, an almost $50 million tax increase on retailers. Together, you stopped a bill that would have eliminated the rebate…
The Alabama Legislature is threatening to remove the rebate Alabama retailers receive for collecting and remitting Alabama sales taxes in a timely manner. For many Alabama retailers, this change would mean sending $4,800 more each year to the state in taxes….
For the second time in a week, the entire state of Alabama is being placed under a state of emergency. Ice accumulations from .25 to .30 of an inch are expected as well as sleet accumulations of up to a half-inch between…
Alabama more than doubled its projected sales growth for the 2014 holiday buying season, thanks to record sales in December. Taxed holiday sales in our state exceeded $10 billion in November and December, a jump of 5 percent over 2013 holiday sales. The…
Since its passage in 2010, the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, has changed the health care landscape for insurers, individuals, and, especially, employers. President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) into law Tuesday, March 23,…
Once again, the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama expects modest growth in Alabama’s economy. The projected economic expansion in 2015 is 2.3 percent, about the same level of growth our state has seen for…
Both FedEx and UPS have increased their annual small package rate. The UPS rate increases took effect Dec. 29, 2014, while the FedEx rate increases took effect Jan. 5, 2015. As always, how much more expensive your particular small package shipments will…