House Democrats used their superior numbers to push through a tax measure this evening that ends the sales-tax exemption for out-of-state shoppers, turning the tax break into a refund program. House Bill 2036 raises about $47.3 million in the next biennium, if the Republican-controlled Senate agrees to pass the measure as part of ongoing budget negotiations at the Capitol.
As crafted by Rep. Reuven Carlyle, the Democrats’ Finance Committee chairman, the measure does not actually end the ability of out-of-state shoppers to get a tax break. But it does make them fill out paperwork and apply for the refund. …
