WFCA Lobbies for Internet Sales Taxes

Anaheim, CA, Dec. 2, 2014 -- World Floor Covering Association officials recently spent two days in Washington, D.C., meeting with the staffs of top members of Congress about proposed Internet sales taxes and and other issues of importance to flooring industry retailers.

WFCA officials, including CEO Scott Humphrey and general counsel Jeff King, met with the offices of Senators Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), and Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee), as well as Representatives Jason Chafffetz (R-Utah), Steve Womack (R-Arkansas), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington) about the proposed Marketplace Fairness Act.

The legislation would force Internet retailers to collect sales taxes so they don't have an advantage over traditional retailers that legally have to collect those taxes.

“Consumers today go into stores, identify and gather information about the products they like, and then go home and order those products from an online seller,” Humphrey said.

“In addition to not collecting sales tax, Internet retailers save the property taxes and other significant expenses of operating those stores that serve to inform consumers—making it next to impossible for brick-and-mortar businesses to compete with Internet pricing.”

Humphrey said WFCA is urging retailers to contact their federal and state representatives immediately and urge them to support the MFA.