A good reason to buy locally from small businesses:

[1932]

Sales tax notwithstanding, keeping your money local and with small businesses means that you're supporting your tax base by increasing the likelihood that state corporate income tax will capture back some of your money, which will then go to schools, hospitals and roads.

I'm reading Greg LeRoy's book the Great American Jobs Scam.

He has a chapter on the tax code and the way that corporate income tax revenues have dropped precipitously in recent years. Corporations now pay an average of about 2.35% of their income in state income tax, down from around 6% only a couple decades ago. This is despite the fact that state income tax on corporations has remained at about 6.85%. The reason for the drop is economic development packages that give corporations big tax breaks. Those breaks tend to go to huge corporations and rarely if ever do they go to small businesses. Many large corporations pay 0% in state income tax.

So, when you increase the income of a local small businessmen, on average, you're doubling and almost trippling the money your state makes from your money, which comes back to you in the form of better services. And, more likely, it's the difference between your state getting nothing and getting something.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. There is not a local

grocery or hardware store that I can think of in my area. Or "housewares" either. Or pharmacies. All conglomerates. Every last one. And plenty of them!

The only local stores are gift shops, clothing boutiques (not in my size, unfortunately), some auto stores.

It's a problem.

[mongo]

6. Wow. Generica must have really taken over where you live

We have local grocery, hardware and pharmacies where I live.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

8. There is one private grocery called an "IGA"

down by the coast but it smells bad and has limited products and a dirty meat area. Not to mention it is 30 mins away.

There is a hardware store that sells lumber for construction crews, but not really for general consumers.

We are pretty much a boomtown. When I moved her 27 years ago there wasn't even a mall. Now we have every chain you can imagine and some you can't. Convenient but not very personal.

[mongo]

9. Our local grocery is a smelly IGA too.

We rarely shop there, but we also have a pick-n-save, which is a (nice) local chain.

[RufusEarl]

2. Agreed

It's a very good idea, been doing it for years. Besides my small business gets a tax break, when shopping local.

[Jayhawk Lib]

3. Corporations do not pay taxes..

Corporations collect taxes.

They either collect from their employees through lower wages or add the taxes to the price of the product. Taxes are a cost of doing business and are passed down one way or the other.

[1932]

11. I'm talking about income tax.

Profit making endeavors which use public infrastructure should pay a % of their profits to support the services they use.

Individuals pay tax on the money they make. So should corporations.

[Name removed]

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[applegrove]

5. Very true. Buy small when you can.

[Hamlette]

7. choice is also a big factor

chain book stores, for instance, only want to buy books that are best sellers...small prints, unknown authors, authors who don't have large audiences...won't get published.

Same goes for monopoly stores of any kind. I've noticed in my town some products can't be had...anywhere...anymore.

[catmandu57]

10. I shop local when I can

It cost more, but, I like supporting my neighbors. I bought my wife a dozen rosew for Valentine's from our local flower shop, they cost me 53.00, I could have gone to the mart and got twenty for twenty bucks, but, who knows where that money would go.
These folks have extended me credit when I needed it, I doubt the megamart would be interested.