Month: January 2022

(Birmingham, AL, USA – January 10, 2022) – Alabama currently exempts precious metals from state sales tax, however this exemption is set to expire in 2022. A senator in the Yellowhammer State hopes to extend this popular exemption.

Introduced by Senator Tim Melson (1-R), and supported by the Sound Money Defense League and Money Metals Exchange, Senate Bill 13 maintains current law by extending the existing sales tax exemption on the purchases of precious metals purchases

If Senate Bill 13 is not enacted, and this exemption is therefore allowed to expire, Alabama small businesses would immediately be harmed – along with Alabama citizens seeking to protect their savings against the devaluation of the dollar.

The Alabama sales tax exemption on the monetary metals should be maintained for a few reasons:

• Levying sales taxes on precious metals is inappropriate. Sales taxes are typically levied on final consumer goods. Computers, shirts, and shoes carry sales taxes because the consumer is “consuming” the good. Precious metals are inherently held for resale, not “consumption,” making the application of sales taxes on precious metals inappropriate.

• Studies have shown that taxing precious metals is an inefficient form of revenue collection. The results of one study involving Michigan show that any sales tax proceeds a state collects on precious metals are likely surpassed by the state revenue lost from conventions, businesses, and economic activity that are driven out of the state.

         The harm is exacerbated when you consider that many of Alabama’s neighbors (Florida and Georgia) have already stopped taxing gold and silver. Mississippi and Tennessee are two of the several states considering their own sales tax exemptions for precious metals this year.

• Taxing gold and silver harms in-state businesses. It’s a competitive marketplace, so buyers will take their business to neighboring states, such as Florida or Georgia (which have eliminated or reduced sales tax on precious metals), thereby undermining Alabama jobs. Levying sales tax on precious metals harms in-state businesses who will lose business to out-of-state precious metals dealers. Investors in Montgomery can easily avoid paying $195 in sales taxes, for example, on a $1,950 purchase of a one-ounce gold bar.

In total, 42 states (including Alabama) have reduced or eliminated sales tax on the monetary metals. Five more states are considering eliminating the tax this year.

• Taxing precious metals is unfair to certain savers and investors. Gold and silver are held as forms of savings and investment. Alabama does not tax the purchase of stocks, bonds, ETFs, currencies, and other financial instruments. 

• Taxing precious metals is harmful to citizens attempting to protect their assets. Purchasers of precious metals aren’t fat-cat investors. Most who buy precious metals do so in small increments as a way of saving money. Precious metals investors are purchasing precious metals as a way to preserve their wealth against the damages of inflation. Inflation harms the poorest among us, including pensioners, Alabamans on fixed incomes, wage earners, savers, and more.

In 2016, the state of Louisiana experimented briefly with slapping sales taxes on precious metals purchases. The state quickly reversed course only one year later — and reinstated the exemption on precious metals — because businesses, coin conventions, and state tax revenues were leaving the state.

Bills to remove taxation on sound, constitutional money are also being, or have been, introduced this year in Mississippi, Hawaii, South Carolina, Tennessee, and more.

 

(Jackson, MS, USA – January 10, 2022) One of the states that’s still taxing real money is hoping to do something about it.

So far, two separate efforts to eliminate sales taxes on the purchase of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium have been introduced in Mississippi. 

House Bill 426 and House Bill 518, introduced by Representative Ford (54-R) and Representative Hopkins (7-R) respectively, essentially do the same thing. At least one more measure to eliminate this unfair tax is expected to be introduced.

Under current law, Mississippi citizens are discouraged from insuring their savings against the devaluation of the dollar because they are penalized with taxation for doing so. Passage of this measure would remove disincentives to holding gold and silver for this purpose. Measures to remove this onerous tax are important for a few reasons:

• Levying sales taxes on precious metals is inappropriate. Sales taxes are typically levied on final consumer goods. Computers, shirts, and shoes carry sales taxes because the consumer is “consuming” the good. Precious metals are inherently held for resale, not “consumption,” making the application of sales taxes on precious metals inappropriate.

• Studies have shown that taxing precious metals is an inefficient form of revenue collection. The results of one study involving Michigan show that any sales tax proceeds a state collects on precious metals are likely surpassed by the state revenue lost from conventions, businesses, and economic activity that are driven out of the state.

The harm is exacerbated when you consider that many of Mississippi’s neighbors (Alabama and Louisiana) have already stopped taxing gold and silver. Arkansas and Tennessee are considering their own sales tax exemptions for precious metals this year.

• Taxing gold and silver harms in-state businesses. It’s a competitive marketplace, so buyers will take their business to neighboring states, such as Alabama or Louisiana (which have eliminated or reduced sales tax on precious metals), thereby undermining Mississippi jobs. Levying sales tax on precious metals harms in-state businesses who will lose business to out-of-state precious metals dealers. Investors can easily avoid paying $136.50 in sales taxes, for example, on a $1,950 purchase of a one-ounce gold bar.

         In total, 39 states have reduced or eliminated sales tax on the monetary metals.

• Taxing precious metals is unfair to certain savers and investors. Gold and silver are held as forms of savings and investment. Mississippi does not tax the purchase of stocks, bonds, ETFs, currencies, and other financial instruments. 

• Taxing precious metals is harmful to citizens attempting to protect their assets. Purchasers of precious metals aren’t fat-cat investors. Most who buy precious metals do so in small increments as a way of saving money. Precious metals investors are purchasing precious metals as a way to preserve their wealth against the damages of inflation. Inflation harms the poorest among us, including pensioners, Mississippians on fixed incomes, wage earners, savers, and more.

This measure is one of many sound money bills being introduced across the country this year.  Idaho plans to consider a measure to empower the state treasurer to hold physical gold and silver in state coffers. Bills to remove taxation on sound, constitutional money are also being, or have been, introduced in Alabama, Hawaii, Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee, and more.

Backed by the Sound Money Defense League, these measures protect Mississippi citizens by removing barriers to insulating their wealth with the only money proven to protect against the Federal Reserve Note’s ongoing devaluation. 

(Richmond, VA, USA – January 10, 2022) – Virginia currently exempts precious metals from state sales tax, however this exemption is set to expire in 2023. Members of both chambers in the Old Dominion hope to extend this popular exemption.

Introduced by Delegate Ware (65-R) and Senator Ruff (15-R) respectively, and supported by the Sound Money Defense League and Money Metals Exchange, House Bill 3 and Senate Bill 26 would maintain current law by extending the existing sales tax exemption on the purchases of precious metals purchases

If House Bill 3 or Senate Bill 26 are not enacted, and this exemption is therefore allowed to expire, Virginia small businesses would immediately be harmed – along with Virginia citizens seeking to protect their savings against the devaluation of the dollar.

The Virginia sales tax exemption on the monetary metals should be maintained for a few reasons:

• Levying sales taxes on precious metals is inappropriate. Sales taxes are typically levied on final consumer goods. Computers, shirts, and shoes carry sales taxes because the consumer is “consuming” the good. Precious metals are inherently held for resale, not “consumption,” making the application of sales taxes on precious metals inappropriate.

• Studies have shown that taxing precious metals is an inefficient form of revenue collection. The results of one study involving Michigan show that any sales tax proceeds a state collects on precious metals are likely surpassed by the state revenue lost from conventions, businesses, and economic activity that are driven out of the state.

            The harm is exacerbated when you consider that many of Virginia’s neighbors (Maryland, West Virginia, and North Carolina) have already stopped taxing gold and silver. Kentucky and Tennessee are two of the several states considering their own sales tax exemptions for precious metals this year.

• Taxing gold and silver harms in-state businesses. It’s a competitive marketplace, so buyers will take their business to neighboring states, such as Maryland, West Virginia, and North Carolina (which have eliminated or reduced sales tax on precious metals), thereby undermining Virginia jobs. Levying sales tax on precious metals harms in-state businesses who will lose business to out-of-state precious metals dealers. Investors in Richmond can easily avoid paying $195 in sales taxes, for example, on a $1,950 purchase of a one-ounce gold bar.

In total, 42 states (including Virginia) have reduced or eliminated sales tax on the monetary metals. Five more states are considering eliminating the tax this year.

• Taxing precious metals is unfair to certain savers and investors. Gold and silver are held as forms of savings and investment. Virginia does not tax the purchase of stocks, bonds, ETFs, currencies, and other financial instruments. 

• Taxing precious metals is harmful to citizens attempting to protect their assets. Purchasers of precious metals aren’t fat-cat investors. Most who buy precious metals do so in small increments as a way of saving money. Precious metals investors are purchasing precious metals as a way to preserve their wealth against the damages of inflation. Inflation harms the poorest among us, including pensioners, Virginians on fixed incomes, wage earners, savers, and more.

In 2016, the state of Louisiana experimented briefly with slapping sales taxes on precious metals purchases. The state quickly reversed course only one year later — and reinstated the exemption on precious metals — because businesses, coin conventions, and state tax revenues were leaving the state.

Bills to remove taxation on sound, constitutional money are also being, or have been, introduced this year in Mississippi, Hawaii, South Carolina, Tennessee, and more.

The Federal Reserve is talking about raising interest rates. Well, that’s going to be a big problem for American consumers who are running up debt at a torrid pace. This is yet another reason why the Fed can’t do what it’s claiming it will do. Consumer debt jumped 11% year-on-year in November, according to the […]

The post Blog first appeared on SchiffGold.

The Fed FOMC minutes came out last week, signaling tighter monetary policy. Peter Schiff talked about the minutes in his podcast, arguing that the Fed can’t do what it says it’s going to do. If it does, it will crash the markets and the economy. And it won’t lower inflation. The Fed minutes were widely […]

The post Blog first appeared on SchiffGold.

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