WFCA Efforts Lead to Vote on Web Sales Tax

Washington, DC, April 1, 2013 -- As an initial step in ultimately passing the Marketplace Fairness Act, the Senate voted 75-25 to allow states to collect sales taxes from Internet and mail order companies.

The Marketplace Fairness Act addresses circumstances that allow out-of-state Internet and mail order companies to avoid collecting and remitting state and local sales taxes while traditional stores are obligated to collect the taxes.

The proposed legislation would create a program that would require Internet and mail order sellers to collect and remit sales taxes to states that elect to participate in the federal program.

WFCA, led by the late Chris Davis, and its members played a vital role in helping this initial measure pass. It's a major issue for the membership, which has seen increasing competition from web-based retailers in recent years.

The WFCA, at the request of its legislative counsel, contacted members in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, New York and Pennsylvania and requested they contact their Senators to request their support for the measure. WFCA credits the pressure from its members for helping Senators vote for the bill