Menards balks at 1% tax

Menards is considering a new store in a Springfield, Mo., shopping mall -- as long as it isn’t included in the development’s community improvement district (CID), according to an article in the Springfield News Leader.

The Eau Claire, Wis.-based home improvement chain is planning a 162,000-sq.-ft. store in the Hickory Hills Marketplace, which levies a 1% tax on tenants to help pay  back the cost of public improvements at the development.

At a Springfield City Council meeting on Jan. 17, a Menards representative said the deal is contingent on approval of a bill removing the home improvement store from the Hickory Hills’ CID.

Menards objects to the 1% sales tax because it would put the retailer at a “competitive disadvantage,” according to the article.