Posted on 04/23/2013 1:54:01 PM PDT by Jean S
Proposed Internet sales-tax legislation received a huge boost on Monday when the White House officially backed the bill, saying it would level the playing field among online and retail stores by ensuring that both pay sales taxes.
“Today, while local small-business retailers follow the law and collect sales taxes from customers who make purchases in their stores, many big-business online and catalogue retailers do not collect the same taxes,” White House press secretary Jay Carney. “This puts local, neighborhood-based small businesses at a disadvantage to big, out-of-state, online companies.”
Now, the Senate is scheduled to debate the Internet sales-tax legislation for the remainder of the week, and the bill is largely expected to pass (a similar, nonbinding amendment was approved weeks ago, 75-24).
The so-called “Marketplace Fairness Act” would allow a state to collect sales tax on Internet purchases made by its residents, even if the Internet company has its headquarters in a different state. It would exempt online companies with sales of less than $1 million a year from collecting or paying the sales taxes, and it would add roughly $10.1 billion a year to local government coffers, according to the Congressional Research Service, at a time when most states are looking for any and all fiscal fixes.
But, the essence of the fight really pits industry against industry.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Democrat “fairness” = You get screwed.
Straight from the Atlas Shrugged manuscript.
There cannot posible be an internet versus brick-and-mortar store level playing field.
The internet seller does not have to support the INCREDIBLE overhead of a store with cooling, heating, parking, security, sales peeps, etc. ad infinitum.
The internet will still undercut regular store sales by a huge percentage.
The best idea is to have A NATIONAL STRIKE where no one buys ANYTHING but food and gasoline for 2 weeks.
OMG!
Doesn't this violate the 13th amendment?
Surely the house will not vote for another tax increase? Last time I checked the GOP was in control of the house.
Marketplace Fairness Act , sounds like it was created by a Democrat
“Fine. Then we should just refuse to purchase online for six months or so. Guess who’ll be demanding the taxes be done away with then.”
Great idea!
Heck, I'm pretty much doing that right now.
What is sales tax?
So tax on “internet purchase,” but if I call the seller to place an order, then no tax?
It’s the online businesses that are at a disadvantage. Sell online and somebody has to pay for shipping. Depending on the item, the shipping can be anywhere from $20 to $500+ (large furniture items, cars, etc.) And if the buyer pickups up the item in person from the online store - the tax is charged so this law does nothing but hurt the online businesses that have to pay shipping.
In a sane world this would be true, but Boehner is in charge of the house. It could be that the numbnuts writing these articles have no idea that the senate and house BOTH have to pass a bill into law.
Always!
I agree. The Democrats have tried to do this every year since on-line sales were invented, and every year it has failed. I think it will be easy for the Republicans (even the RINOs) in the House to vote against it.
Of course, when I moved to Colorado 20 years ago I thought it would always be a conservative state. Now the Democrat-controlled legislature is taking away our rights as fast as they can draft the violations to the Constitution.
Note the lack of nuance exhibited by ignoring places with no sales tax.
They've never seen a tax they didn't like. If justice was truly served, they'd all be in prison.
If you have a state sales tax, you should be paying it already. Iowa has a line item on the return for it.
Most people decide to cheat it.
I'll be buying on Craigslist, to avoid taxes....until they jump on that, too.
Yep, why not simply lower property taxes on brick and mortars? Why not lower sales taxes on in-state purchases?
Brick and mortars are making a deal with the devil. As long as there are “tax free” Internet sales, there will be a cap on local taxes. As soon as that ends the lid can come off.
This is terrible policy. I mean, if Obama wants it, it cannot be good.
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