On Tuesday, Alabama lawmakers voted 74-27 to pass Rep. Chris Sells (R-Greenville) bill, HB147, that would prohibit cities from enacting new occupational taxes without legislative permission from the state. In other words, cities could not raise new occupational taxes through their city council. The bill would not impact any existing occupational taxes.
HB147 House Vote To Pass
Passed
“My goal is to give a voice to the people,” Sells said.
Opponents of Sells’ bill object that it infringes on the autonomy of cities.
“It bothers me for us to play Big Brother in a sense to say, ‘OK, this is what you can and you cannot do,’” Rep. Napoleon Bracy (D-Prichard) said.