First, in January 2013 with Republicans in charge of the House, they allowed a $1B tax hike on the American people, the biggest in American history. Then ObamaCare. Then Amnesty. Then Boehner refuses to establish a special investigation committee for Benghazi. Now… taxing you on the internet. How much more do you need to kick their asses in 2014?
So it should come as no surprise that the Establishment Party is looking to pass a bill that would allow the 9,600+ different state and local governments to tax the Internet.
Behold the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA).
Current law dictates that a state can only require a business to collect its sales tax if it is physically present within its boundaries….
(The MFA) would countenance an enormous expansion in state tax collection authority by wiping away the “physical presence standard,” a baseline protection that shields taxpayers from harassment by out of state collectors….
Dismantling this protection for remote retail sales would create a very slippery slope for states to attempt collection of business or even income taxes from out of state entities….(The MFA will) forc(e) online retailers to calculate and remit to more than 9,600 distinct taxing jurisdictions.
As per usual, when someone in DC says “fairness” – grab your wallet, because they are about to do so. The MFA is a gi-normous, omni-directional, multitudinous-government tax and power grab – and a colossal compliance headache for just about every U.S. business.
It on May 6 passed the Senate – with twenty-one Republican votes. And now, even more inexplicably, House Republicans are taking the lead on ramming it through.
H.R.684 – Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013
Sponsor: Rep. Steve Womack (Republican-AR)
Co-Sponsors: 66 – 24 of whom are Republicans.
(Republican) Rep. Bob Goodlatte To Move Forward With Online Sales Tax Bill
House GOP Takes Step on Internet Sales Tax LegislationYet another example of Republican anti-Conservative ideological muddle. Is it any wonder the Party brand is so horrendously damaged?
I think the Republicans supporting this see it as pro-business.
From The Hill article:
The GOP establishment has long been known as the party of business. They are being true to their principles. The taxes the GOP elite doesn’t like are the ones on businesses and rich people. This is a sales tax that the little guy consumer has to pay.
Also, “heavy lobbying” means money in political coffers.
Excellent point Pat. I see this as an effort for the little guy to help subsidize Big Business. Now we all love business, but if conservatives are the small government, low tax party, then instead of focusing on increasing taxes for “fairness,” the conservative thing to do would be to lower taxes for ‘fairness.’ I think there is very little ideological difference between the parties anymore. They two wings of the same animal– Ginormous, All-Power Government.
Someone please remind me again why we can’t start a 3rd party? How about a “person who will do the right thing FOR THE PEOPLE in accordance with the American Constitution” party? I’m so sick and tired of both parties that I could easily send almost all of our current politicians off to some distant island to fight among themselves for eternity! Have at it morons!
I see this as the same thing as town main street businesses that lost business due to malls outside town. So cities/towns, built malls in the center of town to compete with the malls outside of town. Malls have small retailers and nation-wide retailers so the thinking was that they would benefit small and big business. What happened; taxes were higher in the town/cities, so the mall stores there charged higher prices. Pan handlers frequented the town malls, drugs started being sold in the mall parking garages, crime went up, people stayed away, the small main street businesses lost even more customers, major retailers left the town center malls, small retailers can’t support the malls alone and they became eyesores that invited more crime.
This law is being sold as an equalizer for store businesses, small and big, to compete with the internet businesses. But it’s end result will be less spent everywhere. Most of the problem between store business and internet business is the internet business has much greater selection with much greater price variance. People can buy good quality at a lower price such that even with shipping cost you save money. Taxing the transaction will reduce the savings some but won’t eliminate it. Therefore, people will still save money thru internet purchase but will do less of it. Won’t save store business.
This is why I am no longer a Repubic.
And the GOP establishment fights back. They’re primarying Justin Amash with a big money supported challenger. Their cover reason; they’re not sure Rep. Amash is strong enough to defeat Democrat challenger. May want to consider giving some money to Justin.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130926/OPINION01/309260013/1008/OPINION01/Tables-turn-Michigan-tea-party