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“Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2011”
Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Jami Jones -4 May 2011: -- More and more states, as well as cities, are cashing in on out-of-state truckers doing business in the area. That patchwork of tax laws is the target of a new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The “Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2011,” was introduced by Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-VA, in the House on April 8. It addresses such taxes as corporate taxes, franchise taxes, income taxes and business activity taxes... The bill seeks to establish a national standard on these taxes so they can only apply to businesses located in a city or state... The bill would allow the taxes on businesses that are physically located in the state or local jurisdiction. That means businesses with employees, a building, etc. The bill seeks to prevent taxes on “transient business activity,” for example trucks picking up and delivering freight...
* USA - HOS : Safety advisory committee focuses on trucker detention time
Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -4 May 2011: -- Time squandered at the shipping docks is an issue of trucker safety and hours-of-service compliance, according to a federally appointed committee that has taken up the issue of detention time... The Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, is urging FMCSA to seek the authority to address the issue and hold shippers and others more accountable... When a trucker is needlessly detained at the docks without consideration or compensation for time spent, that trucker’s ability to comply with hours-of-service rules is compromised, committee members said...
* Obama Draft Plan Eyes VMT, Interstate Tolling
Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John D. Boyd -May 5, 2011: -- Informal working document for highway bill also would set up a freight office at the DOT... The Obama administration has been floating draft language for surface transportation legislation that could lead to a tax on vehicle miles traveled, allow states to impose tolls on some existing interstate highways and set up an Office of Freight Policy inside the Department of Transportation... DOT officials will not confirm that the “Transportation Opportunities Act” is their work. But industry groups are taking it seriously as a first sign of what the administration is considering in detail, while committees in Congress prepare to write their own versions of a six-year surface transportation bill to replace programs that will expire in September... Washington sources say the document now getting attention was first distributed in March to a small group of transportation specialists. The administration sent out the draft for their comments to help shape a future plan, sources say, with the understanding they would not discuss it...
