In addition to NFIB, the coalition includes the Mississippi Economic Council, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, the Council of State Taxation, the Mississippi Society of CPAs, the Mississippi Bar Taxation Section, the Mississippi Bankers Association, the Mississippi Poultry Association, the Mississippi Petroleum Marketers, the Mississippi Railroad Association and the Mississippi Retail & Grocers Association.
We need to return to a fair and level playing field. We need a system where the Department of Revenue is directed by the Mississippi Legislature, where the taxpayer can be assured of the rules and the department doesn’t use the courts to justify changing procedures.
We need to return to the structure that was in place before the Department of Revenue overstepped their bounds.
I support:
- Returning to a system that requires the department to bear the burden of proof when they deviate from their own tax statutes and regulations to assess a taxpayer (affects corporate taxpayers doing business in multiple states)
- Returning to a fair appeal process (affects all taxpayers)
- Creating a system that does not force the taxpayer to pay for the right to have their day in court (affects all taxpayers)
The current Department of Revenue practices hurt Mississippi’s business reputation and failing to address these issues could greatly curtail the tremendous progress we have made in economic development.
