House Passes Art Museum Bill
by March 28, 2005 12:00 am 64 views
The Arkansas House of Representatives passed House Bill 2480 on March 21 by a vote of 85 to 0 (with 15 representatives not voting).
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Horace Hardwick, R-Bentonville, would exempt a $30 million museum with $100 million in artwork from having to pay Arkansas’ 6 percent sales tax on the acquisition or sale of artwork.
Although Hardwick won’t say who the non-profit organization is mentioned in the bill, sources who requested anonymity say it’s the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation and that Alice Walton, daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, is behind the museum plan.
The bill was read for the first time in the Senate on March 21 and referred to the Senate Committee on Revenue and Taxation.