This bill would permit states to charge sales tax for purchases made online otherwise known as ‘remote sales.’ A remote sale is defined as, “A sale into a State in which the seller would not legally be required to pay, collect, or remit State or local sales and use taxes unless provided by this Act.”

States, rightfully so, support this measure. Economists predict the bill could generate as much as $23 billion dollars in revenue for states. With many states still recovering from the economic downturn and a shrinking federal budget, why wouldn’t they support this windfall of revenue.

States aren’t the only ones happy about this. Best Buy, Wal-Mart and any other retailer that has a brick and mortar operation sees this as a chance to level the playing field with their online retailers.

How does this impact car people of America?

Simple, take whatever car parts normally cost you online, add your state sales tax and that is your impact. I’ve participated in many online group buys and purchased countless car-related items from online retailers and I’ve concluded; this bill sucks.

Example: Currently when buying tires online in Virginia, notice the large ZERO next to sales tax. Should this law be passed that will reflect normal Virginia sales tax.

Don’t call your congressman, yet

The bill still has a long way to go. Just like an endurance race, this 30-hour legislative stretch could result in a DNF. The biggest concern for those in support of the bill is that an amendment is offered that would create federal revenue.

That would result in a ‘blue slip’, a legislative black flag.

Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution says, “All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.” If the House receives a bill from the Senate that raises revenue, the House returns the legislation to the Senate with a blue slip attached. This lets the Senate know the House will not consider the legislation.

While this bill isn’t guaranteed to become law, it is a money generator for states. That means (most) every Governor in America will be on the phone today with their state’s two elected officials in the upper chamber asking for them to support this measure.

A possible upside for the motoring masses?

The ability to tax online purchases could keep states from increasing their fuel taxes. This means you’d pay more for online parts, but less for your day-to-day motoring juice.

I decided to see what history had to say on the subject. Looking back 100 years, it seems women were very active in auto racing. Even more so than they are now.

It appears it wasn’t uncommon for them to openly challenge men in races. They competed with one another globally for a racing title, Queen of Racing World.

While this isn’t by any means a full historical account of women in racing, these few newspaper stories (1914-1918) provide an interesting perspective on what auto racing looked like for women 90+ years ago. 

Apologize for craptastic image. Photoshop died. Resorted to Paint.

I hate grocery stores. They are cold and filled with people who are either slink around aimlessly or speed down aisles like Supermarket Sweep contestants; both of which are irritating.

People, driving a grocery cart is like driving a car; similar rules apply. Don’t block the box, look both ways and most importantly don’t park in a NO PARKING ZONE (like in front of the meat section).

As frustrating as grocery shopping can be, it does give me a chance to people watch, which is a beloved pastime of mine.

The grocery is a fascinating place to people watch. Not only do you get to watch people interact with each other, you also get to see what kind of food they buy. And if what that say is true, that you are what you eat, then the grocery cart is a rolling statement about who a person is.

This past Sunday I noticed just how many people were carrying reusable grocery bags. Many cities have a per-bag tax on plastic/paper bags and grocery stores offer discounts for buyers who opt-out of plastic and paper. There is no denying it, the reusable bag is here to stay.

Is it a branding opportunity?

A woman wheeled by me in the produce section. Four reusable bags sat inside her cart. Her two small children followed like a pair of well-behaved ducklings. She stopped to let her little ones help her pick out a few apples. There stood a  mother and  two kids, deciding on which apples to put in their green, unbranded, reusable grocery bag.

What if those reusable bags were adorned with an automaker’s logo? That mother, and her kids, are now a walking billboard. The perfect image of family, safety and environment. Every other shopper will make an inference that this mother (or father) values Brand X to carry her or his children and that Brand X also cares enough about the planet’s wellbeing to provide the family with reusable grocery bags.

Time to Act

If you’re reading this, and happen to be the Chief Marketing Officer of a large automotive brand, set aside a few extra dollars in your marketing budget for a pallet or three of reusable grocery bags. The next time someone buys a family-friendly vehicle from your brand make sure to toss a few of these bags in the back.

They’ll thank you, again and again. Every weekend.

Using what little knowledge I have of Photoshop, I made the following colorized versions of Jeep’s new CUV in Trailhawk trim. (CLICK READ MORE  FOR AN EXPLOSION OF COLORFUL JEEPS)

To read more about the new Jeep here is a link to Chrysler’s media page on it: MEDIA LINK