North Carolina County's Board of Commissioners Pulls Support for Electronics Recycling Bill

The board of commissioners for North Carolina’s Davidson County has removed a resolution in support of Senate Bill 1030 from its consent agenda, voting it down five to two.

According to a news item in The Lexington Dispatch (Lexington, N.C.), the resolution in support of the “Electronics Recycling and Job Creation” bill would have endorsed a proposed state initiative to add a 1 percent sales tax at the time of sale for some electronics. The money would go toward a statewide electronics recycling program for computer monitors, CPUs and TVs larger than 9 inches.

Thursday, Sept. 7, Recycling Coordinator Steve Swaim requested that the board of commissions support the bill, and the commissioners placed the item on the consent agenda, according to The Lexington Dispatch.

However, Andy Ellen, a lawyer for the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association e-mailed the board with his objections to the bill, according to the report. He wrote that the tax is an unfair burden on local retailers and requested that the county refuse to support it because it could send shoppers to Internet or out-of-state retailers.

Ellen also wrote that the legislation would let “manufacturers off the hook” if passed and burden the consumer with the cost of safe disposal.

Commissioners Max Wasler and Sam Watford voted to support the bill.

The Lexington Dispatch quotes Watford as saying that taxes on “white goods and tires are some of the best things to happen” to Davidson County.