Jason Chiu
There Won't Be an Internet Sales Tax Anytime Soon
Supporters
of the bill which would end online tax-free online shopping has faced staunch
and significant opposition from Republicans in Congress. House Speaker John
Boehner of Ohio said that he would block the bill, which would allow states to
collect a sales tax from online retailers. Known as the Marketplace Fairness
Act (MFA), the bill was passed by the Senate with strong bipartisan support
more than a year ago. House Republicans have never supported the bill, however.
Their opposition stems from the worry that voters could view the online tax as
an indirect tax increase. As expected, small online retailers have recognized
Boehner’s effort as the online tax poses a threat to smaller online retailers.
Boehner has made it very clear that
he will oppose the bill no matter what. Supporters of the tax measure still are
not giving up hope. Led by Majority Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois, supporters
of the tax measure are keeping all options open including combining two
measures.
While Boehner has staunchly opposed
the measure, two Republican representatives have expressed their support. Mike
Enzi of Wyoming and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee hope that the bill will still
pass before the year’s end. Republicans who support the measure and Democrats
have attempted to tie the MFA to a similar sounding but separate bill that
implements a longstanding ban on taxing Internet access. This is something that
both sides agree upon but many expect that Boehner and the House Republicans
will not budge on the issue.
Sources:
http://online.wsj.com/articles/internet-sales-tax-faces-republican-opposition-1415739069
http://time.com/3580835/internet-sales-tax/
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