Advocacy

Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, explains why this week's filing of an amicus brief in a case that will be heard by the Supreme Court in April is a particularly appropriate moment to consider the important role that booksellers play in defending free speech.

Due to the snowstorm on March 3 in Washington, D.C., the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary hearing on sales tax fairness legislation scheduled for March 4 has been postponed until March 12. The postponement forced ABA to cancel its Advocacy Day planned for March 4.

On Tuesday, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies hosted a webinar on the findings of this year’s Independent Business Survey, the post-holiday survey of independent business owners across the U.S., which was released earlier this month.

With the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary scheduled to hold a hearing on sales tax fairness on March 4, ABA is calling on booksellers to express their support by creating testimonials and meeting with their representatives at local district offices during the mid-February congressional recess.

Booksellers who have been providing health insurance to their employees should remember that the Affordable Care Act includes federal tax credits for small businesses.

A post-holiday survey of 2,602 independent business owners across the U.S., including ABA member bookstores, has found that the Buy Local message is boosting customer traffic and improving the outlook on Main Street.

With the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary expected to hold a hearing on sales tax fairness sometime in March, ABA is urging members to show their support for this important issue by creating testimonials and meeting with their representatives at local district offices during the mid-February congressional recess.

The Small Business Majority is asking business owners to sign a letter urging lawmakers to confirm Maria Contreras-Sweet as head of the Small Business Administration as soon as possible.

ABA is asking booksellers to provide either a written or video testimonial in support of federal sales tax fairness legislation that would level the playing field for Main Street retailers.

On February 1, Amazon will begin collecting and remitting sales tax in North Carolina. The news is not only a victory for sales tax fairness proponents, but also for the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

ABA is calling on booksellers to provide either a written or video testimonial in support of federal sales tax fairness legislation, which the association will then share with the House Judiciary Committee before legislative hearings on the issue begin.

On January 7, some 300 signatories representing more than three million businesses, associations, and organizations wrote to Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chair of the House Committee on the Judiciary, calling for action on sales tax fairness legislation.

With the new year, the Affordable Care Act’s health care tax credit for small businesses will increase from 35 percent to a maximum of 50 percent. The credit is meant to encourage small businesses and tax-exempt organizations to begin offering health insurance coverage to their employees or to maintain the coverage they already have.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to not hear a legal challenge brought by Amazon and Overstock regarding New York State’s affiliate nexus law, editorials in newspapers across the country have urged states and/or the U.S. Congress to turn sales tax fairness from an idea into a reality.

Late last week, the White House announced that it was delaying by one year online enrollment in the federally operated Small Business Health Options (SHOP) health insurance exchanges.