Are you AGAINST sales taxes on legal services? Please leave your name in the comments section.

18 Comments

  • Rennie Polidora - 6 years ago

    Most people hire an attorney out of necessity, not luxury. And many clients can barely afford the expense no matter how much an attorney reduces fees or works out a payment plan. This tax will prevent many potential clients from retaining an attorney regardless of how much they may need one.

  • Hampton Young - 6 years ago

    Many states are looking for ways to increase revenue, short of imposing taxes on those who can best afford it. A tax on professional services will raise costs for many who cannot afford it. My clients generally are not wealthy. They can barely afford a divorce, a criminal defense, a guardianship for their elderly parent, or, most particularly, a bankruptcy petition. Clients injured either at work or by a negligent driver often lose substantial assets due to medical debt prior to their case being resolved. Neither I, nor my clients, can easily absorb such a tax. Any professionals services tax contribution to Wyoming’s budget shortfall due to reliance on the minerals industry will have little impact in comparison to the harm to vulnerable individuals in need of legal representation.

  • Michael Messenger - 6 years ago

    I presented argument before the Committee in Thermopolis a few months ago regarding a sales tax on professionals. I endorse the comments made by other attorneys. To add a couple more issues: Costs to legal clients and customers of other professions will also increase if the professional's current billing software will not compute sales tax; the extra time and expense necessary to keep track of and report sales tax; and the added REGULATORY BURDEN imposed by the regressive tax.

    Further, will attorneys impose a sales tax on estates which by statute are set by the Probate Code; will we tax counties who pay for GAL fees; will we tax the State for fees paid by the Workers Compensation Division; will the multitude of state and county and municipal government attorneys charge a tax to the governmental entity; will we tax the State for recovery of funds under the Governmental Claims Act; will we pay a tax on contracts for service to governmental entities; and so forth and so on.?

  • Ann Davey - 6 years ago

    Most of my clients are injured, facing a divorce, starting a business, fighting a wrongful eviction, or haggling with an insurance company. Very few have the luxury of unlimited funds to pay an attorney, and I am constantly working with my clients to find a fee that is reasonable for them and fair for me. The thought that I will have to now notify my clients of a tax on legal services is ridiculous and seems only a punitive measure against the legal community without taking into consideration the vast number of ordinary and hard working people we represent. This is bad policy. Please find another way to raise revenue.

  • Charmaine Reed - 6 years ago

    Please, do not tax legal services.

  • Collin Hopkins - 6 years ago

    While I understand your jobs are difficult, and money must come from somewhere, ALMOST WITHOUT FAIL people come to see us in their darkest hours, not because they have so much money they need advice on where to spend or invest it. Taxing them in these moments of crises is not right. Please, do your best to find funds elsewhere. Kicking folks while they are down is not the answer.

  • Mel Orchard - 6 years ago

    This proposal puts an incredible burden on the most vulnerable of our citizens; those who are hurt, injured or a loved one is killed. Of all of the potential revenue sources for this wonderful and proud state, I can't imagine this path being honestly considered. How we treat those that need us the most is how we are viewed, and it becomes how we are defined as a society. Please. Reconsider the social costs of taking more from people who are almost always already being compensated for horrific injuries at a fraction of what is fair. Nobody would trade a life time of pain for millions of dollars so when they get a fraction of that amount in partial compensation, and the lost wages are also taxed, taking more is unconscionable.

  • Ericka S. Smith - 6 years ago

    As a small firm in Wyoming I would have to significantly increase my rates to be able to afford any taxes. These taxes will directly impact our state in a negative way.

  • Jeff Van Fleet - 6 years ago

    My main area of practice is family law. I try to work with my clients on their fees, yet despite my efforts, many potential clients simply cannot afford legal services. A tax on legal services will further impede their ability to get the representation they so desperately need. This tax impacts people who are at their most vulnerable seeking assistance of professionals. This is more than a tax on services, it is a tax on life’s challenges and successes. Please vote no on this bill, or in the alternative remove necessary services such as legal services and any services which are non-recreational.

  • Jeremy Hugus - 6 years ago

    This effort would not stimulate economic growth; it would hamstring small businesses and entrepreneurs that are the bedrock of our local economies and push clients to neighboring states. And worse still, it would do so by shifting the financial burden to those who are already at the peak of vulnerability. There is a reason only three states do this.

    Wyoming, you know better. Run like hell from this ill-conceived scheme.

  • John Vincent - 6 years ago

    Please do not implement this tax. The result of such a tax is to place another barrier between injured people and their access to the justice system which is supposed to allow them a reasonably priced method to recover just compensation for the harms visited upon them. Lawyers fees are now limited by a "reasonableness" standard. Given the inconsequential amount of revenue this proposal would provide to he State,one can only conclude the purpose of the bill is to limit access to justice and the court's by the powers that be who are running our state government. We must stand up for our clients and oppose this attempt to protect the rich and powerful from paying for their negligent and/or willful misconduct at the expense of those who are harmed. John Vincent

  • Richard J Mulligan - 6 years ago

    The cost to litigate have become staggering. Do not further punish the citizens of Wyoming with additional legal costs.

  • Mark Macy - 6 years ago

    So you are injured in an automobile accident and have to hire an attorney to help you fight the insurance company. You already have medical bills and lost wages due to the accident. You are just trying to get back on your feet. The IRS already has the right to tax your claim on your lost wages, which would result in a double tax. So after a period of negotiation with the insurance company or a trial to a verdict, you finally obtain some money which we all know never makes you "whole" at the end of the day. Then throw salt in the wound - the State of Wyoming is going to tax you on your recovery. No doubt, you will pay the tax out of the settlement or verdict. So, from the standpoint of taxation on personal injury settlements, the tax constitutes a tax on the injured.

  • Andrea Richard - 6 years ago

    Taxing legal services would create negative consequences that outweigh the relatively small revenue it would generate. Many, many Wyoming citizens already cannot afford vital legal services.

    Out of state lawyers would get a great benefit from such a tax. Such a tax would reward the hiring out of state lawyers and penalize Wyoming citizens who hire a Wyoming lawyer. Our judges would be even more overwhelmed by Wyoming citizens who cannot afford lawyers representing themselves. Our court system is an important part of our democracy and justice should be accessible to all. This tax would make justice and the court system less accessible to everyday Wyoming citizens. Please find another way to raise revenue.

  • M Jalie Meinecke - 6 years ago

    Dear Committee: I am extremely concerned with the notion of taxing legal services in Wyoming. This tax is a tax that will be paid by the consumer. It is extremely hard for many Wyoming residents to afford legal services as it is. Taxing legal services will only exacerbate the problem for the consumer, which is a drawback that will far outweigh any monetary benefit from such a tax. Please talk with the Board Members or Director of Wyomng legal aid about how many people they visit with every day that cannot afford legal services, before you consider making it more expensive for the general public to obtain legal counsel. Thank you.

  • R. Todd Ingram - 6 years ago

    This is a bad idea. Legal services are not like getting a haircut. They are not paid for at the point of service. They are not a luxury. Too many people already cannot afford to hire a lawyer for important, life-changing matters. Our competitors to the south are hoping Wyoming makes it more expensive to hire a Wyoming lawyer. The judges would be overwhelmed with even more parties trying to represent themselves. Please find another way to raise revenue.

  • Steven Titus - 6 years ago

    An absolutely pathetic attempt at a solution that won’t fix anything. This will disproportionately hurt small businesses. I hope our sensible legislature will seek other revenue creating methods to help the current budget situation.

  • Ian Payton - 6 years ago

    Do not tax legal services.

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