DECEMBER 2019 NEWSLETTER To promote, educate and advocate for the Residential Building & Remodeling Industry; providing resources that benefit industry professionals and consumers in the communities we serve. WHATS INSIDE Upcoming Event Registrations 2019 TOP SQUAD Score of 302 Dec 12 - Christmas Party Jan 10 - LRRP Lead Paint Refresher Courts Jan 31 - Government Official Reception AND Installation of Officers & Industry Awards NEW LOCATION Regency Conference Center Event Reviews: Trivia Night / Bowling & Go Kart Event NEW PROGRAM: B T-REX Showcase for members to show off their industry craftsmanship and expertise thru trusted HBR promotion. Membership Updates & Incentives Membership Directory Advertising Rates 2020 Annual Sponsorship Registration Page 1 2020 Home Show updates International Builder Show Information Articles from the Bowtie Economist & IPI Inside peek at Workforce Development Committee
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Cordially Invites You to the Event Gold Sponsors · # of Reservations ___ @ $65 per person Payment Enclosed ____ Invoice (Members Only) ___ _________________________________________________________________________________________ Company Name _________________________________________________________________________________________ Name(s) of Attendees _____________________________________________________________________ Charge to Visa/Mastercard *credit card payments will include an additional 4% convenience fee _________ ______________ Exp. Date _____________________________________________________________________________ Send to: HBR, 6100 W. Main St., Maryville, IL 62062 Ph 618.343.6331 Fax 618.343.6335 email: tbutler@hbrmea.org Cancellation will be accepted five (5) business days prior to Event. No refunds or credits will be allowed.
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RENEWING MEMBERS ABC Supply Co., Inc. - 22 years Copious Technologies - 10 years Fulford Homes, LLC - 42 years New American Funding - 1 year The Appliance Discounters - 3 years Remodelers Council FCB Banks Jacob Sunrooms, Exteriors & Baths Throm Construction Yaekel & Associates Todd Rhoades Parksite 1400 Remington Blvd. Bolingbrook, IL 64090 C: (309) 413-7207 trhoades@parksite.com www.parksite.com Let your industry friends know why you are a member, get them to join the HB&R. Once you have 3 in 2019 your next years membership renewal will be FREE. Troy Reimer Trex Decking 160 Exeter Drive Winchester, VA 22603 C: (816) 509-6977 treimer@trex.com www.trexcom MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE AT WWW.HBASWIL.ORG/JOIN-HBR-TODAY Page 13
STOP BEING SO PATERNALISTIC! So there I am, at home, relaxing in my study in the midst of thinking about the lousy economy, the anemic number of housing starts, the troubles with Fannie and Freddie and the soaring budget deficit. Deeply concerned by all this, I close my eyes, place my feet on the hassock, turn on the radio and wait for some soothing music to wash over me and refresh my tired, stressed soul. But before the music starts comes a public service announcement or two. Oh goodie! The first tells me not to feel too secure because a Fukushima-sized tsunami is just a jolt away, and the second says that my state is suffering through the driest spring since water was invented, and that if we do not stop using water by late tomorrow morning the state will, pure and simple, dry up. Another spot reminds listeners to exercise more and eat less because obesity and diabetes are quickly becoming problems for both adults and children. Yet another spot tells the population that they are eligible for government compensation if they lived in City X or City Y between 1942 and 1955. And yet another one starts with the sweet bark of a dog but then turns sinister and warns that rabies kills and ends with an ominous admonition; A dog not immunized is a dangerous dog! Hearing a dog off in the distance I instantly flinch, wondering if it had its shots and worrying if I should ask the owner and concerned about what I might do if I were to see it coming right at me. Exhausted, I turn off the radio because I know what is coming next and I am already too stressed out; the 30second spot about how hundreds of people die each year in accidents in their home – falling off ladders and into bathtubs. This is followed by another menacing spot about the need to pay attention at the wheel; not to text and drive, not to smoke, not to do drugs, not to eat raw fish, to get immunized , to adopt a pet, and on and agonizingly on. With all this evil lurking in every room, every animal, and every driver, who wants to leave the house? Then again how can you stay home when radon will kill you, your ducts are full of allergens, and an al-Qaeda terror attack is right around the corner? These radio spots represent the voice of government regulation saying “if there is not enough for you to worry about, consider this…” That’s right, if the thought of killer bees headed your way is not enough to shake you up, keep in mind the neighbor’s dog – suffering from rabies and roaming around outside, unleashed. And while I very much want to protect myself and my family from harm, it just might be the case that I am the best judge of how to do that and that using my tax dollars to remind me of every possible harmful substance and bad outcome is not just plain foolish but downright harmful, wasteful and panic inducing. I know, every government agency has a budget and the more they spend the better they look. The problem is who checks to see if these PSAs do any good? No one! So we end up spending precious resources pumping out “helpful” information with no idea of the outcome. This is like going to a restaurant and not paying attention to the cost or quality of the meal but being very satisfied because the meal was expensive. What I would instead like to see government do is spend our money based on cost-benefit analysis and with respect for the taxpayer. If that means putting out a few PSAs fine, if it means hiring more policemen OK, and if it means cutting taxes so I can spend more of my money the way I see fit, awesome. But the notion that by simply flooding the airwaves with PSAs we will all stop whatever it is, is well, nonsense. Given all this terrifying claptrap about what to do, what not to do and what to watch out for, it’s amazing, actually, that people are as normal as they are, what with all the threats (real and government induced) to lose sleep over - terrorists, insufficient antioxidants, drought, rabies, fear of fluoride, a lack of vitamins, H1N1, Avian flu, fear of injections, rare cancers, tapeworm and creeping socialism. So while government may well continue to assail us with expensive alarmist nonsense, there is a wide swath of normalcy in the middle that is remarkable, considering everything with which we are bombarded. The problem is I am worried sick that with a few more government sponsored PSAs the healthy normal middle will disappear! And to solve that problem, all we need is a 30-second spot…… Page 14
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A pair of proposals recently filed by state lawmakers would kill the vehicle trade-in sales tax before it kicks into gear at the start of 2020. By Writer, Vincent Caruso State Reps. Tom Bennett, R-Gibson City, and Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, introduced bills that would halt the new trade-in tax that became law during the summer and is to be collected starting Jan. 1. Both proposals – House Bill 3890 and House Bill 3891 – would amend the Use Tax Act and Retailers’ Occupation Tax Act by reversing a new law that expands the scope of sales taxes in the state to include used cars’ trade-in value greater than $10,000. State Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, signed on as co-sponsor of both. In 2020, trade-in credit above $10,000 will be taxed in addition to the difference between the new and used car prices. In this example, the $20,000 trade-in will not be taxed on the first $10,000 in value, but the remaining $10,000 gets taxed along with the $15,000 difference between the new and used car values. So sales taxes will be applied to $25,000 of the transaction, which will cost her $2,185. So the same car deal will cost her an extra $874 in sales taxes if she waits until Jan. 1. Because the state already collected sales tax on the retail transaction when she first bough the used car, many have likened the trade-in tax to “double taxation.” While drivers can avoid Illinois’ doubled gasoline tax by buying across the state line, they can’t escape the trade-in tax because it applies to out-of-state purchases. State leaders passed 20 new or expanded taxes and fees to fund a $45 billion infrastructure bill and record $40 billion state budget. The state currently collects no sales tax on a car’s trade-in value, which in practice acts as credit toward a new vehicle purchase. By law, sales tax only applies to the difference between trade-in value and the new vehicle’s purchase price. But that changes Jan. 1 after Gov. J.B. Pritzker in June signed into law a proposal to apply state and local sales taxes to any trade-in value above $10,000. The new tax will generate $60 million a year, according to official estimates. Rather than using these vehicle taxes for roads, the revenue will go toward “vertical infrastructure” such as new state buildings and renovations. The least a driver looking to trade-in will face is 6.25% in sales tax, the state’s rate. Municipalities often add their own sales tax, averaging 2.49%. Statewide the average combined state and local sales tax is 8.74%, but it ranges as high as 10.25% in Chicago. Take, for example, an Illinoisan buying a new vehicle for $35,000 – about the average cost in 2018 – and trading in her car valued at $20,000. Currently, she would only pay sales tax on the difference, or $15,000. The average sales tax on this transaction would be roughly $1,311. Illinois’ motor fuel tax increase went into effect July 1, doubling the state gas tax to 38 cents and making Illinois’ pain at the pump No. 3 in the nation. Based on Illinois Policy Institute calculations, Illinoisans will pay $100 more in the first year under the 38-cents-pergallon state gas tax. And now the gas tax is tied to inflation, meaning it will automatically rise in future years without requiring lawmaker approval. It is projected to hit 43.5 cents by 2025. Illinois drivers will pay the nation’s highest base fee and fifth highest overall fee for vehicle registration, also meant to raise funds for Pritzker’s $45 billion infrastructure plan. Drivers of standard passenger cars will see registration fees jump from $98 to $148 in 2020. The $50 increase is estimated to raise $441 million in revenue. Registration fees for large vehicles – buses, trailers and semi-trucks – will increase by $100, raising $49 million in new revenue. The gas tax hike and increased vehicle registration fees erase Pritzker’s promise of middle class income tax relief – a major selling point of his plan to replace Illinois’ constitutionally-protected flat income tax with a progressive income tax system. The progressive tax question will be before voters in November 2020. Should Bennett or Ryan’s bills reach Pritzker’s desk, the governor will have the opportunity to give working Illinoisans some of the tax relief he promised by reversing one of the many new taxes he’s imposed on them in his first year in office. Page 16
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1237 Central Park Drive, OFallon, IL FRIDAY 28 2pm—8pm SATURDAY 29 10am—7pm SUNDAY 1 11am—4pm Interactive floorplan www.hbrmea.org/ FEB FEB MAR
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The HBR Workforce Development Committee has been busy putting together this presentation to share at local schools for students to get excited about working in our industry! If you know of a local school or program that would benefit please let us know and we will get our team together to share the amazing work our industry has to offer Page 20
Our mission is to promote, educate and advocate for the Residential Building & Remodeling Industry; providing resources that benefit industry professionals and consumers in the communities we serve.
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6100 West Main Street Maryville, IL 62062 Phone: 618-343-6331 E-mail: tbutler@hbrmea.org Web: www.hbrmea.org
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