OOIDA Call to Action - Arkansas Members
February 26, 2003

Heads up, Arkansas truckers! A bill in the state Senate needs your support.

HB1030, which would cap the sales taxes on trucks and trailers in Arkansas, appeared to be a victim of the state's revenue shortfall. However, a compromise that would save the bill is being crafted.
Initially, it was estimated the bill would cause a shortfall of $3 million to $4 million a year in the state treasury. The shortfall would likely get smaller as truckers and fleets began to move their trucks back to Arkansas because of the lower tax rates HB1030 would create.
The Senate Committee on Revenue and Tax is scheduled to take up an amendment to the bill that would transfer all vehicle title fees from the highway fund to the general fund, possibly as late as Wednesday, March 5.
The amount would be roughly the same as the shortfall, $3 million, making the measure revenue neutral.
HB1030 passed the House Jan. 29 by a vote of 84-13. But it apparently stalled in the Senate, where a vote by the full body was recently delayed and it was referred back to the Senate revenue and tax committee Feb. 25.
The measure would cap the sales tax on trucks bought or sold in the state. If the bill passes, only the first $1,000 from the sale of a truck will be taxed in the future and only the first $500 from the sale of a trailer will be taxed.
It contained a clause that would grant a tax "amnesty" to homebound truckers who would otherwise have to pay big bucks in back taxes, penalties and interest for base-plating out of state. The Arkansas attorney general issued an opinion that the amnesty was unconstitutional, and it was removed.
It is vital that you contact the committee members and let them know how important this bill is to you as an Arkansas trucker. For contact information, visit www.arkleg.state.ar.us/scripts/ablr/committees/committee3a.asp?ccode=450, or call OOIDA's membership department at 1-800-444-5791 and they'll look it up.