Posted on 04/25/2013 5:55:21 AM PDT by sickoflibs
WASHINGTON (AP) You don't see this very often: a majority of Senate Republicans voting to make people who buy stuff on the Internet pay state and local sales taxes.
The Senate could vote as early as Thursday on a bill to empower states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. Under the bill, the sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.
On Wednesday, the bill passed a test vote in the Senate, 74 to 23, with 27 Republicans voting in favor. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., vowed to pass the bill this week, before senators leave for a scheduled vacation.
"This is a matter of equity and fairness," said South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, a Republican. "The same people who are selling the same products should be paying the same taxes."
Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state. As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers an advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.
It is part of GOP orthodoxy to oppose higher taxes, a central issue that divides Democrats and Republicans. That's why the bill faces an uncertain fate in the House, where some Republicans regard it as a tax increase.
But supporters of the bill insist it is not a tax increase. Instead, they say, the bill merely provides states with a mechanism to enforce current taxes.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Wait another couple years : )
Watch out for these GOP weazel backstabbers posing as conservatives :
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Crapo (R-ID)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Graham (R-SC)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
McCain (R-AZ)
Moran (R-KS)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Wicker (R-MS)
Full list of those tax collectors for big spending states like mine posted here by Bender2
#37
Is there just one party now?
The list of Republican Senators who support forcing companies to collect state sales taxes for the purchasers’ home states in cases of Internet (and, presumably, mail-order-catalog and 800-number) sales includes quite a few who normally have conservative voting records in economic issues. I then realized that there’s a high correlation between representing states with high state and (particularly) local sales tax rates and being in favor of the bill. States with sales taxes that are 7% or higher include the likes of AL, AR, AZ, GA, ID, IN, KS, MS, MO, NE, NC, ND, OH, SC, TN and WY, and their Republican Senators support the bill, probably due to pressure from the state and county governments seeking tax income. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_States The only GOP Senators from states with sales taxes below 7% to support the bill were Susan Collins of ME (who is a bona fide RINO) and Ron Johnson of WI (who is usually one of the most economically conservative members of the GOP caucus). So the biggest surprise, in my mind, is that Ron Johnson supported this bill.
You can bet its the businesses $$$ guiding them. Aint capitalism great?
Our lib governor O Malley and his all Dem assembly raised our sales tax to 6% two or three years ago and got easily re-elected for it and now these GOP turncoats join Reid to pass a bill to collect that from us.
I am sure hoping that GOP house members care what their voters (smaller districts) think because these Senators sure dont.
Exactly! The same could be asked about Obamacare!
The tax will hurt internet shopping and will not help local business at all.
That was the argument the British had in 1775.
The States aren’t losing any money, it isn’t theirs!
Agreed.
Yes, you could always count on Bob Dole to raise taxes.
” I then realized that theres a high correlation between representing states with high state and (particularly) local sales tax rates and being in favor of the bill. “
I noticed it too....
Hey! How bout that?
Good researching.
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