James Island, S.C. Residents Rally Against Wal-Mart
Group Opposes Super Wal-Mart [WCBD-TV (Charleston, S.C.)]
James Island residents are making their voice heard about plans for a new Super Wal-Mart on Folly Road. The group “Islanders for Responsible Expansion” formed just 11 days ago in opposition to the Super Wal-Mart.
Tuesday night they drew more than 200 people to a meeting to learn more about the project and how they can stop it.
Many folks like James Island just the way it is....without a Super Wal-Mart.
“We’ve seen the growth and we’re tired of it,” said Robert and Cindy Blanton after the meeting. “Honestly we don’t need another grocery store. We’re right off Camp Road and we can get on our bikes and literally ride to any grocery store.”
Wal-mart wants to build a new super center with a grocery store next to its current building on Folly Road. It would then turn the existing store into a parking lot. To do that, the company would first have to fill three acres of wetlands and cut down 30 trees.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, March 12 | 0 comments | Permalink
Beaufort, S.C. Mayor to Speak on Wal-Mart Issue
Rauch to speak to Lady’s Island group about Wal-Mart [Beaufort Gazette (S.C.)]
Beaufort Mayor Bill Rauch today will speak to the Lady’s Island Business and Professional Association about a controversial Wal-Mart that has been proposed for the island.
A proposal to build a Wal-Mart on the Airport Junction property on Lady’s Island was rejected by the city Feb. 11. Wal-Mart is appealing that decision to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
Rauch will speak to the group at 8 a.m. at the Sea Island Conference Center, 178 Sams Point Road.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, March 11 | 0 comments | Permalink
James Island, SC. Residents Say “NO” to Wal-Mart
James Island Residents Organize Against Wal-Mart [Live 5 News TV (S.C.)]
A group of James Island residents won a small victory against a retail giant Monday night.
The group, which calls itself Islanders for Responsible Expansion, convinced the James Island Public Service District to support them in opposing a new Super Wal-Mart, which would be built next to the existing Wal-Mart on Folly Road.
The James Island PSD voted unanimously for a resolution that opposed the project.
For the past few weeks, the IRE has collected almost 2,000 signatures from residents who also oppose the building of the new store, which would take up about the size of four football fields and add a grocery department.
The city of Charleston has approved 30 trees on the site to be cut down. The plan would also call for three acres of wetlands to be filled in. Residents who oppose the project say that’s unacceptable because they already filled in wetlands to build the existing store.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, March 11 | 0 comments | Permalink
Lady’s Island, SC. Wal-Mart Forced To Appeal City Denial
What you can’t get by regulation, try to get by litigation. Wal-Mart is winding up its legal department to appeal a decision against them in a picturesque little community in the deep South. Sprawl-Busters reported on January 30, 2008, that Wal-Mart was trying to get into Lady’s Island, South Carolina. Wal-Mart applied for a permit for a 195,000 s.f. store, plus two other retail stores, and a fast-food restaurant, all on 26 acres of wooded land. Lady’s Island lies within the city limits of Beaufort, South Carolina. The city of Beaufort has a population of just over 12,000 people. The city is busy building a new municipal complex and some streetscape improvements. Beaufort boasts of its “Landmark Historic District,” its “horse-drawn carriage” tours, its “unique, fully restored central business district filled with shops and restaurants all within walking distance of beautiful downtown inns and hotels.” In short, it’s a charming “low country” southern town just minutes from the beaches of Hilton Head. As the city says, “Beaufort has it all!” But the area also has plenty of Wal-Marts—which they don’t mention on their website. There are three Wal-Marts within 20 miles of Beaufort, including a supercenter on Robert Smalls Parkway in Beaufort. So there is no market need for more Wal-Marts. “I think it could be fairly devastating to (our business),” said the owner of a local hardware store. “It will affect every business on Lady’s Island. (Wal-Mart does) everything from hardware and gift shops to restaurants and carpet and bicycle shops. They affect everybody.” The City Council’s Vision Statement says that “Beaufort is a community of choice, building on our history and working in harmony with our natural environment to provide diverse opportunities for the highest quality of life.” The city has hired a consulting firm to deal with traffic on Route 21, the Boundary Street Corridor. The city also says it is concerned with “the preservation of open space, particularly Beaufort’s waterfront viewshed,” and has adopted an Open Space Master Plan. It’s hard to see how a Wal-Mart on Route 21 with 12,000 or more car trips a day fits into that Master Plan. Ironically, the City Council has directed staff to identify “those economic sectors that will increase wage levels, provide training in desirable skills, and diversify the economic base of the City.” That’s certainly not a Wal-Mart. The city set up a Redevelopment Commission to assist “in the recruitment and retention of high quality industry, without compromising Beaufort’s unique quality of life.” Wal-Mart filed its site plan with the city on January 18th, but on February 11th , Beaufort’s planning director said the development was not compatible with the site’s master plan, which dates back to 2003, when the land was first annexed into the city. The master plan said there would be 21 buildings on the site, with the largest building being 71,000 s.f. This week, in response to the planning director’s decision, the engineering firm appealed the city’s decision that the store does not comply with the site’s zoning. The appeal, as filed by ADC Engineering, charges that the site plan meets the city’s zoning standards for the property near the intersection of Sea Island Parkway and Airport Circle. The engineering firm’s appeal was filed on behalf of Wal-Mart. So the case now goes to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals. If Wal-Mart doesn’t accept their perspective, Wal-Mart could appeal to the Circuit Court.
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Posted by Al Norman on Friday, February 29 | 0 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Tax Loophole Raises Eyebrows in Virginia
In response to a Newport News Daily Press article on Wal-Mart’s tax avoidance strategies in Virginia, concerned citizens wrote in to the paper voicing their contempt for the company’s practices. The writers’ comments underscore the fact that Wal-Mart’s practices have a real impact on small communities. For Wal-Mart, property taxes are an expense like any other: something to be minimized. But for the people who live in the states and towns where Wal-Mart refuses to pay its fair share, the company’s practices have a huge impact on community life. Two editorials from the Newport News Daily Press are below.
Always low taxes [Newport News Daily Press (Va.)]
As the legislature struggles to bring state spending in line with lower-than-expected tax collections, it would be a shame to leave $6.3 million on the table.
That’s the minimum Virginia loses in taxes every year because the General Assembly refuses to close a loophole that a very few, very savvy businesses — notably Wal-Mart — exploit.
It’s not fair to other businesses, and it’s not sensible for taxpayers generally.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, February 26 | 2 comments | Permalink
Monroe, NJ. Residents Sue to Block Wal-Mart
Monroe residents sue to block OK of Wal-Mart [Gloucester County Times (N.J.)]
Three township residents are trying to fight the development of a super-sized Wal-Mart in town, and have filed a lawsuit in Superior Court against the planning board and the developer.
The residents Phyllis Gibson, Michael Poponi, and Joseph Rumpf claim that the township planning board was biased when it granted final site plan approvals for the project, and gave Penn Real Estate Group waivers on some of the local land use ordinances.
The lawsuit, filed in Woodbury, alleges the planning board committed procedural errors during the January hearings, such as not allowing a cross-examination of the professionals and permitting an off-the record conversation to occur between some board members and their professionals.
The residents say they were denied their rights to due process because of this.
Penn Real Estate Group, of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., was granted approval in January to build a 200,000-square-foot retail Wal-Mart, as well as two other free-standing buildings one for a bank and another for a separate retail strip mall.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, February 25 | 0 comments | Permalink
Opinion: Stop Wal-Mart’s Tax Shenanigans!
Elaine Mejia is director of the N.C. Budget and Tax Center. I’m sure most people at this point are well aware of Wal-mart’s tax problems in North Carolina, but just in case, here’s the story.
Wal-Mart’s Corporate Tax Shenanigans [The Carrboro Citizen]
Recently, a North Carolina judge ruled against Wal-Mart in the giant retailer’s lawsuit against the state of North Carolina. In 2005, the state sent Wal-Mart a bill claiming that the retailer owed $33.5 million in back taxes. Wal-Mart paid up (probably to avoid heavy interest penalties later on) but then sued in state court in 2006 to have the money returned.
At issue is a clever tax scheme that the company used to avoid paying an estimated $230 million in states’ taxes across the country, according to the Wall Street Journal. North Carolina’s share of that was $33.5 million between 1998 and 2002. So what did Wal-Mart due to earn the state’s scrutiny? Essentially, the company put ownership of its properties into a “real estate investment trust.” That trust was owned by Wal-Mart Property Co., a separate holding company. Conveniently, Wal-Mart owned 99 percent of this holding company. It used this complicated set-up to avoid state taxes by making rent payments on its stores to the holding company and then deducting that amount from its tax bills.
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Posted by Corey Himrod on Friday, February 22 | 1 comments | Permalink
Richmond, VA. Wal-Mart Lobbies To Protect Its Tax Loophole
While millions of working Virginians pay their state taxes on time, multi-state corporations like Wal-Mart are lobbying in Viriginia to protect an arcane loophole in the state tax laws that allows them to avoid paying their fair share in taxes. This tax dodging scheme comes as Viriginia is struggling to maintain spending on such basic needs as education for its children. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine announced this week that the state has a $1.4 billion budget shortfall through 2010, and may need to cut spending on education and layoff state workers. The Governor’s initial budget included $6 million that the Commonwealth would gain if it closed the loophole that Wal-Mart used to avoid state taxes.
But the Newport News, VA. Daily Press reports this week that a bill to close the loophole has died in a legislative committee. Stated simply, under this loophole, Wal-Mart is able to charge itself rent, pay that rent to one of its own holding companies in Delaware, thus lowering its taxable income in the operating state, which lowers its tax bill. No rent actually changes hands, because the “expense” stays entirely within Wal-Mart at all times. Neighboring state North Carolina is in a prolonged battle with Wal-Mart over the same issue of nonpayment of state taxes. Wal-Mart recently lost an appeal against North Carolina over a $33 million tax bill. The giant retailer is appealing that decision. In Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick and lawmakers appear to be ready to close a similar loophole there, despite $208,000 in Wal-Mart lobbying expenses in 2007 to keep the loophole open. The Daily Press quoted a Wal-Mart lobbyist, Kelly Hobbs, as saying the loophole that allows Wal-Mart to create phony expenses and reduce its taxable income, simply allows the company to transfer those savings onto its customers. Hobbs told the newspaper, “We’ll do anything we can to lawfully reduce our costs and pass those savings on to our customers in the form of lower costs.” Wal-Mart nationally just celebrated $100 billion in gross sales in the last quarter, so much of its “savings” appear to have passed on to the Walton family, not to state taxpayers.
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Posted by Al Norman on Thursday, February 21 | 0 comments | Permalink
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