The Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that would force online retailers to collect sales tax regardless of its physical location, has gained quite a bit of support in recent days. The Senate and White House are united in passing a bill that they claim will level the playing field between online businesses and retail stores. A new procedural vote from today cemented the Senate’s support for the bill.
The Hill reports that the Senate voted in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act yet again in a procedural vote that saw 75 senators come out in favor of the legislation compared to the 22 opposed. It should be noted that today’s vote was only procedural and does not represent the final vote. Still, the vote represents the bill’s overwhelmingly popularity in the Senate.
Sen. Dick Durbin, one of the bill’s many sponsors, continued to preach the advantages of a national online sales tax bill:
“Internet retailers have an advantage over brick and mortar retailers. This has caused many stores on Main Streets to face competition that is unfair … so we’re trying to level the playing field.”
Despite the overwhelming support from many senators, lawmakers from states without a sales tax are voicing opposition to the bill. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire says that the bill will increase the tax burden on small businesses around the nation. Shaheen’s opinion was echoed by many of the comments in yesterday’s article regarding the bill.
Despite the opposition, it seems likely that the Marketplace Fairness Act will get through the Senate before the end of the week. Then the bill will move on to the House of Representatives where it’s expected to meet much tougher opposition at the hands of a Republican majority that’s incredibly hostile to the idea of any new taxes.