September 26, 2017 www.broadcasteronline.com 14 Broadcaster Press 2017 South Dakota Report Card to be released South Dakota Supreme Court Issues Important Decision on Fairness Tax for South Dakota Retailers 9 3 6 2 5 5 7 1 9 3 PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley announces the State of South Dakota is one step closer to bringing tax fairness to South Dakota retailers which would continue to sustain South Dakota’s status as an income tax-free state. The State Supreme Court agreed with Attorney General Jackley that, despite changing times, the Court was obligated to rule in favor of the defendants in State of South Dakota v. Wayfair, Overstock and Newegg. Significantly, the Court’s swift decision recognizes that “as internet sales have risen, state revenues have decreased.” The Court further highlighted the need for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit this issue, allowing states to require internet retailers to shoulder the same tax burden as in-state retailers do. “The retail landscape significantly changed with the inception of the internet and access to online shopping. Federal law currently shields out-of-state businesses from paying the same tax remitted by South Dakota businesses. Today’s decision paves the way to respectfully request by KrazyDad Intermediate Sudoku Puzzles the U.S. Supreme Court to provide that much needed fairness to save main streets and jobs across South Dakota,” said Jackley. The prevailing law, as set forth in Quill Corp v. North Sudoku #2 Dakota, 504 U.S. 298, 112 S. Ct. 1904 (1992), provides that a state cannot require retailers who do not5 a “physical have 1 8 presence” in the state to collect and remit the state sales tax. The purpose of South Dakota’s current litigation is to give 2 5 9 1 the United States Supreme Court an opportunity to reconextraordinary growth7 the internet of 1 sider Quill in light of the 3 and the exponential technological advances that have been century. If the U.S. Supreme Court 3 made in the last quarter 1 3 ultimately strikes down Quill, retail sales tax obligation can be applied fairly to both internet and main street businesses. This case stems from a state law passed in 2016 that 9 would require4 out-of-state retailers to collect and remit the sales tax similar to in-state retailers. The law applies to 8 out-of-state retailers if they have more than $100,000 of sales 9 2 or complete more than 200 sales transactions a year within 2 South Dakota.3 7 4 © 2008 KrazyDad.com bpp b Since 1934 Since 1934 6 1 8 B roadcaster Broadcaster Press © 2008 KrazyDad.com Press Fill the puzzle so that every row, every column, and every section contain the numbers 1-9 without repeating a number. 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EA BOOK 64 #4 ABERDEEN, S.D. – At its meeting Sept. 18, the South Dakota Board of Education Standards heard state-level results from the 2017 Report Card. The Report Card uses several indicators to measure how schools are performing. “With the advent of the Every Student Succeeds Act, states have the opportunity to broaden the measures they use to review school performance,” said Laura Scheibe, deputy director of accountability systems for the Department of Education. “In South Dakota, we are working toward an accountability system that supports our aspiration that all students leave the K-12 system college, career and life ready.” She expects that, in coming years, the indicators that make up the state’s accountability system will continue to grow. This year’s Report Card encompasses indicators such as student achievement, academic growth, attendance rates, high school completion, and college and career readiness. “From a big-picture perspective, we are on the right trajectory,” Scheibe said. Many of the indicators of performance from the 2016-17 school year remained steady or increased. For example, the percentage of students scoring proficient (at or above Level 3) on the state math test increased by two percentage points in 2017. Another bright spot is the performance of the state’s English learners. This group of students saw a significant increase in proficiency rates on the state test – moving more than three percentage points in both math and English language arts. In recent months, educators and lawmakers around the state have been engaging in conversations about how to better connect K-12 education with the world of work, and how to engage students early on in career exploration. The annual Report Card encompasses certain indicators designed to measure some of these connections. According to the Report Card, 25 percent more students took the National Career Readiness Certificate assessment in 2017 than 2016. This test focuses on skills necessary for success in the workforce. Even with these additional students, performance on the NCRC remained strong. Just over 94 percent earned a “Bronze” certification, compared to 92 percent last year. “The fact that we have more students taking the NCRC, which is voluntary, indicates that our schools are interested in making connections between students and the workforce,” Scheibe said. Finally, while the college readiness indicator showed a decline, more students are being incorporated into this measurement than ever before. Previously, this indicator was based solely on ACT scores; this year, it includes ACT, Accuplacer and Smarter Balanced scores. “Using ACT alone was limiting in terms of the information it was providing, since not all students take the ACT. This new measure more accurately reflects how our schools are doing in preparing students for that next step, whether that’s a four-year college, a technical school or an industry-based certification program,” Scheibe said. The 2017 Report Card can be accessed by visiting www. doe.sd.gov and clicking on the “2017 Report Card” banner. Another Tool To Enhance Water Quality By Mike Jaspers South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture In South Dakota, we have a long legacy of working together to both produce food for the world and protect and enhance our natural resources, from the soil we use for crops and grass to the water we fish in, swim in and drink. I recently had the privilege of attending a ceremony at the Sioux Empire Fair where the seven millionth acre in South Dakota was enrolled in the Conservation Stewardship Program. More acres are enrolled in the Conservation Stewardship Program in South Dakota than in any other state in the nation. This is a great milestone for a program that does so much to help producers implement practices on their cropland and pastures that will enhance and protect South Dakota’s natural resources while at the same time allowing them to grow their crops and raise their livestock. This year there is an additional program available to South Dakota producers to help them protect water quality in the state. The new buffer strip incentive program offers producers a decrease in their property taxes if they put in and maintain buffer strips on numerous bodies of water in our state. Buffer strips are areas of vegetation that border waterbodies and trap sediment and other runoff to prevent them from entering a waterbody. Under this program, producers, or other landowners, can be eligible for a 40 percent discount on their property tax if they install and maintain a buffer strip, between 50 and 120 feet wide that is planted to perennial vegetation, along an eligible lake, river or stream. The buffer strip can still be used for certain activities, such as haying and grazing, during certain periods throughout the year. To enroll in this program, producers will have to fill out an application and send it to the director of equalization in the county they file property taxes in. The South Dakota Department of Revenue has a copy of an application that producers can download and fill out, as well as contact information for directors of equalization in South Dakota, on their website. Additionally, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources has developed a helpful tool that allows landowners to view and download maps of the 575 eligible lakes and 11,000 miles of eligible streams. The map can also be used to estimate buffer strip lengths and acres. Links to both the application and map can be found on the South Dakota Department of Agriculture’s homepage, http://sdda.sd.gov/. As a producer, I work hard every day to leave our state better than I found it. I know that my neighbors and producers across the state do the same. This program, particularly when used in conjunction with other programs like the Conservation Stewardship Program, is an additional tool to help producers remain good stewards of our natural resources and a reason for South Dakotans to celebrate.