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Moorpark thrift store balks at raising sales taxes: Operators refuse to pass increase on to consumers(Ventura County Star (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Mar. 26--California lawmakers may be willing to boost sales taxes on consumers during a recession, but the One More Time Thrift Store in Moorpark isn't. After lawmakers approved a February budget that will raise sales taxes 1 percent beginning April 1, the store's board of directors held an informal meeting. "It's hard enough for people," said Jim Carpenter, one of the store's company board members. The board was troubled by the growing number of people living on fixed incomes who were coming into the store during the past year. Passing on a sales tax increase in these tough times was something they found hard to stomach. During the get-together, someone came up with an idea: What if we stop collecting sales taxes? "We said that sounds like an excellent idea," Carpenter said, They then agreed that's what they would do. To be clear, the store is still going to pay sales taxes, it's just not collecting the 8.25 percent -- the standard in Moorpark beginning Wednesday. California, which imposed the 1 percent increase to help make up for a budget deficit, will have the highest sales taxes in the nation, ranging from 8.25 percent to 10.25 percent in various communities. For an idea of what it might cost, the thrift store paid slightly more than $2,000 in sales tax last year. To offset that payout, the store likely will have to cut down on the proceeds distributed at year-end to nonprofits in the community, Carpenter said. What the store won't do is raise prices to make up the difference. "That would not make sense," Carpenter said. The store is run by Moorpark Active Seniors Inc., a nonprofit organization comprised of uncompensated volunteers who distribute the store's profits after deducting expenses to Ventura County charities at the end of every year. The shop is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The retailer is essentially the "taxpayer" and as long as the retailer pays the sales taxes, it's not a problem, said Anita Gore, spokeswoman for the state's tax collector, the California State Board of Equalization. "That's fine with us," she said. "As long as as they pay it. The retailer's responsible for it." Behind the cash register, a black-and-white photo of Dick Van Dyke hangs on the wall, left behind after the store was used as a faux surf shop in an episode of Diagnosis Murder. The tiny store at 220 High Street is tidier and smaller than most thrift stores in the county, but has the same mix of clothing, games and knickknacks. It's such a quaint place that in January it was used for filming by the Hallmark Channel in a wedding-themed movie called "Flower Girl," starring Marion Ross. Frank Armour has become a regular at the One More Time Thrift Store. After getting laid off from his job at Calabasas Volvo, the Thousand Oaks resident took up reading as a way to save money. "I like the book selection," he said, waiting for the clerk to ring up a box of practically new books. Carpenter interjected that last month Armour bought more than 100 books. "I gave up TV," Armour explained. "I cut my (cable) bill from almost $220 to $130." Armour hadn't heard about the store's plan to stop charging sales taxes next week. Once told, he poked fun at the clerk: "I want my sale tax money back!" All kidding aside, Armour said he appreciates the gesture because the people who will really feel the sales tax change are those who don't have the money to pay it. "The ones who do," he said, "they could care less." To see more of the Ventura County Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.venturacountystar.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Ventura County Star, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |