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NYACS POSITIONS ON 2013 STORE OPERATIONS ISSUES

Stop inhibiting our ability to compete and maintain jobs.
   There are already too many product restrictions, labeling requirements, mandates, and other anti-business policies that stymie the ability of retailers and their suppliers to compete, stay profitable, and retain jobs. No wonder New York’s business climate consistently ranks at or near the bottom.
     •  The main goal of regulatory enforcement should be corrective action and achieving compliance – not punishment or revenue enhancement.
     •  Offering MegaMillions and other lottery draw games over the Internet is a bad idea that would drive customers away from the retail establishments that helped build New York Lottery into a $9-billion-a-year enterprise.
     •  If the State wants to audit us, come audit our actual records. Don’t just mail us a notice accusing us of under-reporting our sales tax liability based on algorithmic models.
     •  Reject new employer cost mandates such as wage inflation, paid leave, and additional coverages that make health insurance even more unaffordable.
     •  Agencies should process license applications swiftly so that qualified new locations can start generating sales tax revenue and employment as quickly as possible.
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Give neighborhood convenience stores a lift, for a change.
   For far too long, our stores have suffered collateral damage from the State’s bad decisions on budgeting, regulation, and tax policy. Many have had to close, others have been deprived of the opportunity to grow and add jobs. It’s time for all that to change.
     •  Restore the sales tax vendor credit that was eliminated in 2010.
     •  Remove sales tax on portion of selling price represented by pass-through tax receipts.
     •  Raise the outdated $1 cap on the fee that stores can charge for cashing a check.
     •  Rescue retailers from excessive credit card swipe fees and acceptance rules.

Rein in runaway credit/debit card swipe fees.
   Skyrocketing fees charged by monopolistic credit card companies to New York convenience store owners for electronic processing of card payments have become our second biggest operating expense, threatening our profitability.
     •  We actively support the continuing efforts of the National Association of Convenience Stores and the Merchants Payment Coalition to address this issue at the federal level.
     •  We support New York State-specific initiatives to infuse free-market competition into the setting of swipe fees and interchange rules, rather than having them dictated by monopolies.

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