By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Eight percent sales tax at Wal-Mart?
No, do the math
WalMart receiptsweb
A receipt brought to the Courier office today wrongly states 8 percent sales tax was applied to the purchase. The tax amount, however, is just under 6 percent.
Staff Report
Updated: May 1, 2015, 6:57 PM
Published: May 1, 2015, 7:22 PM

Two customers complained Friday that Wal-Mart Supercenter on West Oglethorpe Highway in Hinesville was charging them 8 percent sales tax. One even brought in two receipts stating that the tax rate charged was 8 percent.

However, Liberty County Chief Financial Officer Kim McGlothlin said that about three weeks ago Wal-Mart changed their sales tax from 7 percent to 6 percent. This was needed because the county’s 1 percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax expired April 1, meaning the county’s overall sales-tax rate dropped to 6 percent.

And those customers were not really charged 8 percent. McGlothlin explained.

“I talked to the general manager at Wal-Mart who said, ‘One register is printing 8 percent on the receipt.’ But if you do the math on the receipt, it’s actually 6 percent,” McGlothlin said.  “When people tell us about still being charged more than 6 percent, all we can do is send that business a notice and a link, sending them to the state’s website about changing the tax.”

The Coastal Courier was able to confirm McGlothlin’s statement. One receipt a customer brought to the newspaper showed a subtotal of $23.86 for a watch and dog biscuits and a tax of $1.43 for a total of $25.29. The tax amount is really 6 percent of the subtotal, despite the tax line itself saying 8 percent.

The other receipt bears out the same thing. The subtotal was $12.88 for a digital watch, and the tax was 77 cents for a total of $13.65. Again, the tax amount is actually 6 percent of the subtotal, even though the tax line says 8 percent.

An email query sent to Wal-Mart’s corporate public-relations office was not immediately returned Friday.

McGlothlin said that as of two weeks ago, at least three Liberty County restaurants were still charging 7 percent sales tax.

Sign up for our e-newsletters
GPA grows trade, market share
Intermodal volume up 20 percent
port photo
Rubber tired gantry cranes handle cargo at the Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Savannah. The Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail project will double rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year by 2020 - photo by Provided
Staff Report
Updated: Apr 17, 2018, 1:07 PM
Published: Apr 17, 2018, 1:08 PM

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers.

From July 2017 to March, TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah.

"Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part, to a strong economy and growing market share."

Intermodal rail volumes jumped by 20 percent in March and 15.4 percent for the fiscal year to date, for a total of 318,454 containers handled over nine months – another record for the GPA.

"As the numbers show, our rail cargo is growing at a faster pace than our overall trade," GPA Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. "This is important because rail is playing a key role in our responsible growth strategy. We anticipate our rail infrastructure investments to take 250,000 trucks off the road each year by 2020."

The GPA recently broke ground on its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, on which the Port of Savannah will build 10,000-foot unit trains within its own footprint. From the expanded rail infrastructure at Garden City Terminal, Class I rail providers CSX and Norfolk Southern will provide direct rail service to major Southeast and Midwestern markets from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati.

An added benefit is that the Mason Mega Rail project will move all rail switching on terminal – improving vehicle traffic flow around the port.

In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Located in an industrial belt, including the production and export of carpet and flooring, automobiles and tires, the ARP will provide an alternative to all-truck transit to Northwest Georgia.

Each round-trip container moved via the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 710 truck miles on Georgia highways.

March was also a strong month for roll-on/roll-off auto and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and Ocean Terminal in Savannah. Colonel's Island Terminal in Brunswick handled 66,144 cars, trucks and tractors, while Ocean Terminal added 4,050, for a total 70,194, a 17.2 percent increase.

"The global economy is thriving and our volumes are following suit," Lynch said. "As existing accounts grow their footprint in the expanding auto facility in Brunswick, Georgia's competitive logistical advantages are drawing additional business across all of our docks."

Lynch noted that for the fiscal year to date, Mayor's Point breakbulk terminal in Brunswick grew by 44 percent (34,515 tons) to reach 112,728 tons of forest products. At East River Terminal, bulk cargo expanded by 34 percent July-March (189,918 tons) for a total of 750,384 tons.

Latest Obituaries