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PAGE 6A
I FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, April 8,2001
House OKs tax break to aid small businesses
From staff reports
U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal voted this
week in support of the Death Tax
Elimination Act of 2001, the final piece
of President George W. Bush’s tax relief
program.
Deal said voting for the tax relief was
an easy decision.
“I am proud to say that Congress has
voted to eliminate the Death Tax because
it is one of the most unfair taxes on the
books. Americans work hard to start fam
ily businesses and their hard work should
Senate approves Miller’s bill to
increase aid for nation’s farmers
The U.S. Senate this week nar
rowly approved an amendment by
Sen. Zell Miller that gives farmers
a $63.5 billion boost over the next
decade.
Senators
voted 51-49
on Wednes
day for the
amendment
increasing
President
George W.
Bush’s agri
culture bud
get. The am
en d me n t,
Miller
which was
co-sponsored by Sens. Pete
Domenici, R-NM, and Charles
Grassley, R-lowa, includes an
extra $5 billion for farmers this
year.
“Farmers are pleading for our
help. They are selling their crops
at the same levels they or their
parents did 20 years ago, while
the cost of production continues to
soar,” Miller told fellow senators.
“Without our help, many farms in
my state and around the country
State unemployment up in Feb.
Temporary layoffs in the
manufacturing industry sparked
an upward turn in unemploy
ment in the Georgia Mountains
area in February, according to
state Labor Commissioner
Michael Thurmond.
Unemployment jumped from
2.5 percent in January to 2.7
percent in February when work
ers in apparel, textiles and trans
portation equipment industries
were temporarily laid off.
Forsyth County’s unemploy
ment rate increased slightly,
from 1.5 percent in January to
1.8 percent in February. The
county’s unemployment rate was
1.7 percent in February, 2000.
Unemployment also
increased statewide for the sec
ond straight month from 3.3 per
cent in January to 3.4 percent in
February despite the fact that the
number of jobs continued to
grow at a modest rate.
“Although job growth has
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Deal
will continue to go out of busi
ness.”
Bush had recommended
spending $93.5 billion on agricul
ture over the next 10 years. The
extra $63.5 billion secured by
Miller brings the total for agricul
ture to $157 billion between 2000-
01.
Agriculture provides one out
of every six jobs in Georgia and
has an economic of more than S6O
billion each year. Farmers, howev
er, have been suffering in recent
years from drought conditions,
falling commodity prices and sky
rocketing prices for fuel and fertil
izer.
“The rural communities farm
ers support are under great stress
right now, and those who know
rural Georgia and rural America
know that the suffering extends
far beyond the farm,” Miller said.
“It affects the car dealership, the
local restaurant, the downtown
department store.”
The chairman of the Georgia
Peanut Commission, Joe Boddi
ford, praised Miller for getting the
measure passed.
slowed to an annual rate of 2.1
percent, we’re still adding new
jobs in retail trade and service
related industries,” Thurmond
said.
“Employers still have hun
dreds of available jobs listed
with the Georgia Department of
Labor, and our staff is actively
engaged in matching those jobs
with job seekers.”
In February, Georgia added
17,400 new jobs and the latest
12-month report shows that
82.500 jobs have been added
since February 2000, mostly in
retail trade and services. That
total represents a 2.1 percent
annualized growth rate, down
from 3.8 percent at that same
.time the previous year.
The labor department report
ed a total of 4,014,000 jobs in
the state last month, up from
3,996,600 in January. A total of
3.931.500 jobs were reported in
February 2000.
not be erased after
they are gone,” he
said.
Deal continued:
“Less than half of
all family owned
businesses survive
the death of the
founder, and only
about 5 percent sur
vive to the third
generation. To pay
the Death Tax, chil-
“Sen. Miller’s amendment
helps provide a future for Georgia
peanut producers,” Boddiford
said.
“Whether it’s weather-related
disasters or market assistance pro
grams, American agriculture will
need these new monies for pro
ducers to remain viable.”
However, Miller said the extra
$5 billion earmarked for this year
may not be enough to help farm
ers deal with this year’s unfore
seen farming problems, and he
pledged to try to secure more
funding later if necessary.
The push for more agricultural
funding comes as debate contin
ues over Bush’s plan to axe taxes.
Miller has received some criticism
for voting to approve a budget res
olution containing the hefty tax
cut.
“Sen. Miller has his priorities
wrong. He voted for the presi
dent’s $2 trillion tax giveaway to
the wealthy. Most Georgians want
health care and education, not tax
giveaways to the wealthy,” said
Randall Meritt, field director for
Georgia Rural Urban Summitt.
Staples to open new store in Suwanee, April 14
Staples Inc., operator of more
than 1,300 office superstores
worldwide, has announced the
opening of a new office superstore
in Suwanee. The new store, locat
ed at 3630 Peachtree Pkwy, in the
John’s Creek area, opened its
doors to the public on April 1.
Staples operates 23 stores in
Georgia.
The store’s official grand
opening ceremony will be
Saturday, April 14.
The new 23,942-square-foot
superstore offers customers a con
venient, one-stop shopping experi
ence for all their business needs.
Staples carries thousands of office
products, business machines, the
latest computer technology prod
ucts, office furniture and a wide
selection of teaching supplies.
We’re happy to be opening a
store in this community,” said the
General Manager John Crane.
“We have a dynamic new store
with a lot to offer to small busi-
dren are forced to sell the farms and busi
nesses they watched their parents grow.
This is wrong, and I voted to stop it.”
According to Republican Party offi
cials, one-third of small business owners
under the current tax rules would have to
sell outright or liquidate a part of their
business to pay death taxes. Half of those
who must liquidate to pay the IRS will be
forced to eliminate 30 or more-jobs.
Sixty percent of small business own
ers report they would create new jobs in
the coming year if the Death Tax were
COME CELEBRATE AN EVENT
THAT CHANGED THE WORLD!
—
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“On a Away ”
Sat., Aprit*&4 a 7pm
Sun.
Christ Comnimity Church
AssemtW>f
For mo 0;
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NOTES fromsA
milestone, attained by those who have demonstrat
ed exceptional professional knowledge, expertise
and client service.
The Round Table’s membership represents the
top life insurance and financial service profession
als worldwide.
MDRT is an international, independent associa
tion of the world’s best life insurance and financial
services professionals from approximately 60
nations.
MDRT members demonstrate exceptional prod
uct knowledge, strict ethical conduct and outstand
ing client service.
Regarded as business and community leaders,
membership in MDRT is recognized international
ly as the standard of sales excellence in the life
insurance and financial services business.
Touchstone Homes
... announced closeout of sales on its homes in
Summerwind, a 62-home swim/tennis community
in south Forsyth County.
Located on Nichols Road, Summerwind homes
are valued from the low $200,000s to the
$300,0005.
Touchstone Homes, which has been building
homes since 1993, is the home-building arm of
United General Industries, a residential/commer
cial development company.
Richard Stein is the chairman of the board for
Touchstone Homes and founder of UGI.
Over the years, Touchstone Homes, which has
built homes in Gwinnett, north Fulton and south
Forsyth counties, has earned numerous, profes
sionalism awards from the Greater Atlanta Home
ness, small office and home office
customers.”
In January 2001, Staples rolled
out Staples.com Access Points to
all U.S. retail stores. The new
store will have four Staples.com
Access Points to provide cus
tomers with additional product
SKUs, product information and a
variety of business services,
including payroll processing,
telecommunications and market
ing.
Staples is the first office sup
ply superstore to offer customers
the option to pay for online pur
chases via cash, check or credit at
the store’s registers.
The new store has a Copy
Center for on-site copying and
eliminated.
“The Death Tax Elimination Act is not
only important because it gives the proper
respect to farpily farms and businesses,”
Deal said. “It will also serve as an eco
nomic catalyst. When families are forced
to sell small businesses and farms in
order to pay the federal government, it
wipes out jobs for low and middle income
Americans.
“I value the family and I have a spe
cial sensitivity to the needs of the
American rural community. Neither
printing services. The Staples
Copy Center provides commer
cial-grade, high-speed and color
copying, as well as self-serve
copiers with customer workspace
provided. Staples offers full fin
ishing services, such as folding,
laminating and binding.
Customers will also find a
staffed Business Technology area
with services available for com
puter upgrades, software installa
tions and consultation. Staples has
the ability to add memory and
upgrade your current computer in
store with a guaranteed turn
around time of 72 hours or less.
Staples’ wide variety of profes
sional services includes payroll
processing, telecommunications
should be hit by this unfair double tax.
Americans are taxed from the time they
earn their first dollar and they should not
be taxed even more after they earn their
last. I know firsthand that farmers and
small business owners in the Ninth
District hate to think their children who
choose to work in the family business
won’t be able to continue the work their
parents started, and it is time to end this
unfair burden,” Deal said.
Deal urged the U.S. Senate to move
quickly to approve the tax break.
Builders Association and the Sales & Marketing
Council.
The company has also achieved the Certified
Professional Home Builder designation.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce
... has applauded this week’s decision by the
Ohio Elections Commission to dismiss a com
plaint that had been filed against the chamber’s
voter education ads that ran during the fall elec
tion campaign.
“The commission upheld our fundamental right
to free speech,” said James Wooton, president of
the chamber’s affiliate, the Institute for Legal
Reform.
“These ads provided crucial information about
the impact of the judicial elections on jobs and
justice and are protected under the First
Amendment
“We’re grateful that the commission honored
the chamber’s constitutional right to educate Ohio
citizens about important issues at stake in last
year’s Supreme Court races,” said Wooton.
The commission dismissed the case in its
entirety.
The complaint, filed by Common Cause,
alleged that the chamber’s ads informing Ohio vot
ers about Justice Alice Resnick’s record on the
Ohio Supreme Court, had violated Ohio election
laws.
The mission of the chamber Institute for Legal
Reform is to reduce excessive and frivolous law
suits while restoring fairness and balance to
America’s legal system.
and pack and ship for deliveries.
Staples Inc. is an sll billion
retailer of office supplies, furni
ture, and technology to consumers
and businesses from home-based
businesses to Fortune 500 compa
nies in the United States, Canada,
the United Kingdom, Germany,
the Netherlands and Portugal.
Headquartered outside Boston,
Staples invented the office super
store concept and today is the
largest operator of office super
stores in die world.
The company has more than
50,000 employees serving cus
tomers through more than 1,300
office superstores, mail order cata
logs, e-commerce and a contract
business.