GOP governors bolster online sales tax push

[WestVirginiaRebel]

The Hill:

Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa this week became the latest in a string of top Republican state officials to back federal legislation giving states more freedom to collect online sales taxes.

Branstad’s letter of support, obtained exclusively by The Hill, comes not long after another prominent Republican governor, Chris Christie of New Jersey, also urged Congress to get moving on sales tax legislation.

But despite the increasingly vocal push from Republican governors and retail groups for a federal solution, supporters of online sales tax legislation face a heavy lift in getting a measure through Congress this year.

Christie and Branstad are among about a dozen GOP governors to back the push for online sales tax legislation. Other state leaders who are on board include Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Paul LePage of Maine and Rick Snyder of Michigan.

Branstad, who was Iowa governor in the 1980s and 90s and who won a fifth term in 2010, heads a swing state that plays a prominent role in nominating presidential candidates.

In a letter sent Thursday, Branstad encouraged his home-state senators to support a solution that he said would close a longstanding loophole.

“I understand that the coalition supporting this legislation is now very broad which gives me hope that, under your leadership, this legislation can be passed yet this year,” Branstad wrote to Sens. Chuck Grassley ® and Tom Harkin (D).

“The Internet is now a robust, mature and dynamic marketplace that does not warrant special protections,” he added. “The application of sales taxes only to ‘brick-and-mortar’ retailers, many of which are small businesses, puts those very entities at a competitive disadvantage.”

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But can they tax across state lines (as Illinois is trying to do with Amazon?) That's the real issue here IMO.

[clearvision]

Amazon is behind this. They have put in the infrastructure to deal with multi-state taxes. They hope all the small mom and pop internet outlets will have to use their (Amazon's) infrastructure to deal with the tax issue.

[Casino67]

Not sure I believe Amazon is behind this, but.,.... It is inevitable taxing sales by states will happen. Too much money involved.