WARREN – The Michigan Business and Professional Association, along with its sister association the Michigan Food and Beverage Association, strongly urge legislators to support legislation that would eliminate the State’s unnecessary Item Pricing Law.
Both Associations large membership represent over 20,000 small businesses, employing over 160,000 individual employees, support House Bill 4158 sponsored by Representative Posthumus-Lyons to end Michigan?s burdensome Item Pricing Law.
?Michigan, along with Massachusetts are the only two remaining states that require businesses to mark each individual item with a price tag. This pricing requirement has been a hidden tax to consumers since its inception,? said Edward Deeb, president of both Associations.
?The savings the businesses will reap from this Item Pricing repeal will help to cut consumers? costs on the shelf, free up more room in the budget for pay increases, and/or hire additional workers. Businesses are continuing to struggle in Michigan and are doing more with much less, and this would be the helping hand that they have been waiting for,? Deeb said.
?This repeal is a long time coming to the retailers of Michigan. Legislation has been introduced many times in the past without success due to fear of change, or loss of consumer protection,? added Bonnie Bochniak, director of government relations for MBPA/MFBA, ?With today?s technology, errors are minimal, and with the extra dollars in the budget saved from pricing each individual item, stores can purchase better scanners and self-scanners for the consumer to double check prices.?
These self-scanners are already in use at stores such as Macy?s, Target, Meijer, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Bed Bath and Beyond, to name a few.
?Our organizations have opposed item pricing for more than 25 years, and I personally have opposed it for 50 years,? stated Deeb. ?Please don?t forget that our small business community in Michigan is still suffering tremendously. We desperately need to make our state attractive to do business in again, and retaining an old an antiquated law that only places burdens upon retailers is not a step in that direction. Do something positive for Michigan today and support House Bill 4128 to repeal our Item Pricing Law.?
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