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Sen. Garner’s proposed fee on some international money transfers draws sharp opposition in Revenue & Tax hearing
Summary
Senate Bill 545 would charge a $5 fee plus a 1% surcharge on some international transfers to fund law‑enforcement grants and training. Immigrant advocacy groups, small‑business owners and DFA testified it would burden consumers, complicate compliance and could hinder anti‑money‑laundering efforts; a motion to advance lacked a recorded second.
Senator Jason Garner introduced Senate Bill 545, a proposal to impose a $5 fee on certain electronic transfers sent out of the United States and a 1% add‑on for amounts over $500, saying the revenues would fund grants for law enforcement, training at an elite academy and Arkansas State Police efforts to address illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Garner described the measure bluntly as a new way to collect taxes that are not currently remitted.
Public testimony at the Senate Revenue and Tax Committee hearing was uniformly opposed. Mira (Myra) Yaira, founder and executive director of Arkansas United, said immigrant families, military…
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