Legislative Day Brochure - 2015

Who We Are

The Texas Food & Fuel Association represents the fuel marketing, convenience, grocery and wholesale food industries in Texas.

Chartered in 1949, the association’s membership includes a range of business formats offering fuel and convenience throughout the state of Texas. Members include fuel distribution companies, convenience stores, grocery distributors, and grocery stores.

Retail formats operated by our members include convenience stores, grocery stores and truck stops. Wholesale fuel distribution activities involve commercial transportation vehicles, bulk storage facilities and unattended fueling locations.

Texas Food & Fuel Association members provide the fuels that power Texas’ economic growth and mobility.

Our members impact hundreds of communities, thousands of businesses, and millions of our fellow Texans’ each day.

Members of the Texas Food & Fuel Association:

• OWN, OPERATE AND SUPPLY IN EXCESS OF 12,000 CONVENIENCE STORES, GROCERY STORES AND TRUCK STOPS. • DISTRIBUTE APPROXIMATELY 9 BILLION GALLONS OF GASOLINE AND DIESEL FUEL EACH YEAR, AND • SUPPLY FUELS TO MOTORISTS AS WELL AS COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL USES INCLUDING AVIATION, MARINE, MANUFACTURING, GOVERNMENT, AGRICULTURE, AND CONSTRUCTION.

TEXAS POPULATION IS AN ESTIMATED 26,450,000, ACCORDING TO THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, OR ONE CONVENIENCE STORE FOR APPROXIMATELY EVERY 1,714 RESIDENTS.

CONVENIENCE STORES REPRESENT 33.9% OF ALL RETAILING OUTLETS IN THE U.S.

Chris Newton President

cnewton@txfoodandfuel.org 512.617.4306

Scott B. Fisher VP of Policy & Public Affairs sfisher@txfoodandfuel.org 512.617.4308

Matt Burgin Director of Goverment Relations mburgin@txfoodandfuel.org 512.617.4305

401 W. 15th Street, Suite 510 l Austin, TX 78701 512.476.9547 l 512.477.4239 www.txfoodandfuel.org

Issues

Industry

Reduction of Fuels Tax Collection Allowance

Oppose

Like all businesses that collect and remit taxes for the state, fuel distributors receive a tax collection allowance. Fuel distributors have greater reporting responsibilities and greater tax liability than other retailers. Reducing the fuels tax collection allowance places a disproportionate burden upon one group of tax payers.

HB 358 by Button – Credit Card Fees / Cost of Goods Sold Support

Allows credit and debit card fees to be treated as a cost of goods sold for calculating franchise tax. 78% of all fuel purchases are made using a credit or debit card. Credit card fees are convenience stores’ second highest operating expense and are a necessary element to conduct business. HB 358 benefits all businesses that accept credit cards as a means of payment.

HB 647 by Isaac – Nicotine Products/E-Cigarettes

Support

Establishes procedures to govern the sale of nicotine products including e-cigarettes, prohibiting sales and restricting access to nicotine products to minors in a manner consistent with current laws governing sales of tobacco products.

Increase Funding for Transportation Support

Dedicate a portion of vehicle sales taxes to transportation.

Appropriate available transportation funds (Fund 6) to TxDOT. l End diversions of funding to (DPS and) other state agencies. l l

Reform Access Management Support

9,000,000,000 GALLONS OF FUEL DISTRIBUTED

Association members distribute over 9 billion gallons of fuel are across the state of Texas annually, an average of 24,657,534 gallons per day.

$77,400,000,000 IN FUEL AND IN-STORE SALES IMPACTING TEXAS ECONOMY.

Access management controls how TxDOT provides access to roadways from private property. Convenience stores on smaller parcels of property have unique access issues that must be taken into account when considering access to a roadway.

10% OF THE NATION’S C-STORES LOCATED IN TEXAS Texas is home to 15,434 convenience stores, service stations, and other retail motor fuel outlets.