We recently reported on the upcoming Marketplace Fairness Act that was coming up for consideration in the U.S. Senate.
Here’s an update from The Consumerist:
Senate Signs Off On Marketplace Fairness Act; Online Sales Tax …
On Tuesday, May 7th, the Senate voted in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would give each state the authority to compel online businesses to collect applicable taxes. Currently, online businesses without a physical …
Although the bill passed through the Senate, it’s may have a more difficult time actually becoming a bill as not all politicians are in favor of it.
Grover Norquist Sets the Record Straight on the Marketplace Fairness Act
ATR President Grover Norquist appeared on Fox Business Network’s Varney & Co. to explain his opposition to legislation that would establish an Internet sales…
So how do most consumers feel about this legislation? Well, according to a study from Gamepolitics.com, here’s the answer:
“If the Marketplace Fairness Act that was enthusiastically passed in the Senate earlier this month were to somehow end up becoming the law of the land (through some sort of divine intervention in the House where it will likely stall for lack of support, in my opinion) then 44 percent would cut back on buying products online. This is according to data from a study sponsored by electronic postage software company Endicia and posted on Mashable.
The study also found that 75 percent of participants ages 18- 25 would cut back on Internet buying and instead shop at local brick-and-mortar stores. This is interesting because that is exactly what members of the National Retail Federation were hoping to hear. The trade group that represents traditional brick-and-mortar retailers has long argued that online retailers have an unfair advantage over traditional retailers because customers don’t have to pay sales tax..
Overall 61 percent of participants said that they disagreed with the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA), while 39 percent had a favorable reaction. Around 60 percent said that they believe that the bill becoming law would be bad for economic growth. Finally 42 percent of respondents who identified themselves as Democrats agreed with the bill, while 34 percent of Republicans said the bill was a good idea.”
Hopefully, some common sense will prevail before this bill gets any further along.







