SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO AM) House Speaker Mark Mickelson of Sioux Falls believes that the Republican replacement for Obamacare may bring great opportunities to South Dakota.
One of them, indirectly, as part of the deal of getting the replacement through.
"I've got a really good source in DC that tells me that the federal government will now give the states the authority to apply the retail sales tax to online sales," Mickelson tells KELO Radio's It's Your Business Show that that authority could bring in an additional $50 million in sales tax to South Dakota.
Currently, some online companies charge sales tax, many others do not. A prime part of the state's budget troubles this year has been falling revenue projections and some of that is blamed on growing online sales.
Mickelson also believes that life after Obamacare will lead to major reforms at the Indian Health Service.
"There's a really good chance that IHS will start fixing a lot of the problems they've had and start honoring the commitments they have made, which has a potential savings to the South Dakota taxpayer of another $93 million," says Mickelson. He refers to all the money South Dakota spends on Native American health to make up for failures at IHS.
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the replacement bill on Thursday. The U.S. Senate is expected to made many amendments.
