News Release: Statements on Approval of LB304 and LB445
NEWS RELEASE from the Platte Institute
Contact: Adam Weinberg
(402) 452-3737
aweinberg@platteinstitute.org
Statements: Cottage Food and Occupation Tax Reporting Bills Approved
This is a statement by Platte Institute Executive Vice President Kimberly Chalek on the Legislature’s approval of Sen. Sue Crawford’s Legislative Bill 304, which expands Nebraska’s cottage food law to allow the sale of a variety of homemade foods now sold at farmers markets to be sold from a producer’s home or online:
“The Platte Institute would like to thank Sen. Sue Crawford for introducing LB304 and Sen. Ben Hansen for making it his 2019 priority bill. Expanding Nebraska’s cottage food law has been a truly nonpartisan effort to remove barriers for Nebraskans and make new opportunities possible all across our state. If LB304 is signed into law, within a matter of months, new small businesses can get their start in rural and urban areas of Nebraska, and existing cottage food operators can reach out into countless new markets for selling their products. Most all of, we’d like to thank Nebraska’s current and aspiring cottage food producers, who have continued to share their stories with their senators, and worked hard for many years to win the right to share their creations,” said Chalek.
This is a statement by Platte Institute Communications and Outreach Director Adam Weinberg on the Legislature’s approval of Sen. Mike McDonnell’s Legislative Bill 445, which requires municipalities to issue annual reports on their use of local occupation taxes:
“Local occupation taxes often result in Nebraskans paying some of the country’s highest taxes on many of the purchases they make, including combined cell phone taxes that are ranked the nation’s 4th highest by the Tax Foundation. Requiring these annual reports will provide the public and policymakers with better information about how these taxes impact local budgets and policy priorities, and will hopefully be the beginning of a longer conversation about occupation taxes, which are often levied in a less transparent way than other local taxes Nebraskans pay,” said Weinberg.
To schedule an interview on these topics, please contact Adam Weinberg at (402) 452-3737 or aweinberg@platteinstitute.org.
The Platte Institute advances policies that remove barriers to growth and opportunity in Nebraska. More media resources are available at PlatteInstitute.org/Media.