A bill set to improve military and Department of Revenue processes for requesting and fulfilling sales tax exemptions will go to the governor’s desk. The measure sponsored by State representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) passed the House recently.
“The men and women serving in our armed forces have made significant personal sacrifices in service to our State and our Nation,” said Kifowit. “Enhancing this process and assisting them in achieving their objectives is a small, but meaningful way to demonstrate our gratitude.”
Senate Bill 1705 will allow a service member to receive a sales tax exemption by presenting a valid military ID and a form of payment where the military organization is the payor, as well as complete a form by the Department of Revenue. Retailers must hold on to the form for 6 years as documentation of the exemption.
The current system allowed only single-use certificates of exemption which had to be requested through the mail, a problem when exemptions are often needed at short notice. Those certificates automatically renew every five years, yet there is no central repository of certificates that have been issued for a particular unit. In addition to the fact that members of the military frequently change posts, has resulted in a cluttered and inefficient exemption system.
“This much needed bill will make the Department of Revenue’s and the military’s jobs a lot easier,” added Kifowit, “all while helping service member’s focus on readiness and bringing federal dollars into Illinois.”
SB 1705 passed the Illinois House and Senate with unanimous support and now heads to the governor’s desk.
—Office of State representative Stephanie Kifowit