Sales Tax Initiative

On February 10, the Virginia Senate passed a sales tax fairness bill by a margin of 34-6. Senate Bill 597 would require retailers with warehouses or distribution centers in Virginia, such as Amazon.com, to collect and remit sales tax for purchases made by Virginia residents.

SB 1338, a bipartisan sales tax fairness bill introduced in late January, cleared Arizona’s Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, February 8. If the bill is enacted, Arizona could recapture more than 5,400 total jobs and stop future job losses, according to a recent study.

On Tuesday, February 7, the Virginia State Senate Finance Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 597, legislation that would require retailers with warehouses or distribution centers in the state to collect and remit sales tax for purchases made by Virginia residents.

ABA is urging members to meet with federal lawmakers at their district offices to express support for bipartisan sales tax fairness legislation currently under consideration in the House and Senate.

Arizona tells Amazon to pay up; Pennsylvania extends deadline for nexus compliance; Massachusetts governor urges Congress to support sales tax fairness; Maryland introduces sales tax fairness legislation

ABA is urging members to meet with their federal lawmakers in person in their local, district offices to express their support for bipartisan sales tax fairness legislation currently under consideration.

A Virginia state senator has introduced legislation aimed at closing the state’s sales tax loophole. Meanwhile, Amazon.com is seeking a sales tax exemption in Florida that would be similar to the ones granted by Tennessee and South Carolina in 2011.

In response to Amazon’s price app promo, Betsy Burton of The King’s English penned a Letter to the Editor of the Salt Lake Tribune. She’s encouraging other booksellers to do the same in order to capitalize on the recent media attention to focus on why indies matter.

A December 1 Pennsylvania Department of Revenue regulatory bulletin makes it clear that under existing sales tax laws remote sellers with nexus in the state through warehouses or online affiliates are required to collect and remit sales tax for purchases made in state.

ABA CEO Oren Teicher has written an open letter to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos that highlights the glaring discrepancy between the company’s recent statements in support of sales tax fairness and Amazon’s latest exploitation of an inequitable strategic advantage.

The International Council of Shopping Centers has placed full-page ads in support of sales tax equity in a number of publications, including the New York Times. In addition, the organization has launched a sales tax fairness video series, with the first featuring Betsy Burton of The King’s English Bookshop.

At press time, the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue issued a regulatory bulletin stipulating that, under current sales tax law, remote retailers that have warehouse facilities or online affiliates in Pennsylvania have nexus in the state.

Cynthia Compton of 4 Kids Books & Toys in Zionsville, Indiana, was one of about 40 retailers taking part in a November 16 sales tax advocacy day in Washington, D.C., organized by the Alliance for Main Street Fairness.

 With the movement to pass a national sales tax fairness bill gaining momentum in Congress, BTW asked three booksellers who participated in ABA’s recent Sales Tax Fairness Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., about their experiences and the importance of meeting with legislators.

Both the U.S. Senate’s Marketplace Fairness Act and the House’s Marketplace Equity Act, which would provide states with the authority to require remote sellers to collect and remit sales tax in the state, include small-seller exemptions.