Sales Tax Initiative

16 Feb

ABA Calls on B&N and Amazon.com to Join Fight for E-Fairness

Last week, ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz sent letters to Steve Riggio, the CEO of Barnes & Noble, Inc., and Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, in which he encouraged them to join the American Booksellers Association and other retailers in the fight for e-fairness.

Read More
09 Feb

Amazon.com: It's Feasible for Online Retailers to Collect Sales Tax

On Wednesday, February 8, representatives from Amazon.com and eBay Inc. told the U.S. House of Representative's Small Business Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight that collecting sales tax on online purchases is within the industry's capabilities.

Read More
07 Feb

Barnes&Noble.com Now Collecting Sales Tax on Online Purchases in 38 States

With no fanfare, Barnes & Noble has begun collecting sales tax on online purchases made through its Barnes&Noble.com website in 38 states. The company website currently notes, "In accordance with applicable law, Barnes&Noble.com collects tax in all but the following states: Arizona, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Vermont, and the District of Columbia." States that have no sales tax are Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon.

Read More
28 Sep

Lucky 13: Streamlined Sales Tax Set for October 1

On Saturday, October 1, the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA), which makes it easier for online and other retailers that do business in multiple states to calculate, collect, and remit existing use tax, will become effective in 13 states: Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Currently, there are five states that plan to implement SSUTA within the next two years: Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming.

Read More
07 Jul

Streamlined Sales Tax Set for October 1

As a result of last week's admittance of 17 states as either full or associate members to the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement's (SSUTA) governing board, the new tax system will be effective in fully compliant states as of October 1, as reported by the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA). The process for registering to collect and remit remote sales tax will be made available as of that date, according to Neal Osten, federal affairs counsel for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Read More
09 Jun

California Court to Borders Online: You've Got Nexus

Two recent rulings against the online arms of two chain bookstore giants will likely have nationwide ramifications in the ongoing argument over what constitutes nexus in a state and which businesses are required to collect online sales tax.

Read More
09 Jun

ABA Town Hall Meeting: E-Fairness, AHPs, and Damaged Shipments

ABA President Mitchell Kaplan, outgoing Vice President Suzy Staubach, and incoming Vice President Russ Lawrence at the Town Hall Meeting.

ABA's Town Hall Meeting, held on Friday, June 3, at BookExpo America in New York City, was dominated by discussions of e-fairness, health insurance for small businesses, and the issue of damaged shi

Read More
26 Apr

Streamlined Sales Tax Round-Up

On April 16, at a meeting in Washington, D.C., delegates of the Streamlined Sales Tax Implementing States (SSTIS) agreed to amend some portions of the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA) in an effort to keep sales tax simplification on schedule for October 1, as reported by Washington Retail Insight (WRI), a newsletter of the National Retail Federation. SSUTA would help states begin to recover from years of budgetary shortfalls by collecting revenue lost through catalog and Internet purchases.

Read More
02 Dec

Sen. Enzi Urges Congress to Focus on Fair Collection of Sales Tax

On November 19, in a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), after commending Congress for extending the moratorium on Internet access taxes for the next four years, called on Congress and President Bush to refocus their energies on his Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Act (SSUTA, S.1736). Enzi and Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) introduced the bill, which would ensure that the tax system is fair to Main Street businesses, in October 2003.

Read More
26 May

Michigan Passes Legislation to Streamline Sales Tax

On Thursday, May 20, Michigan's House of Representatives passed legislation that would streamline the tax codes to make it easier for businesses to collect state sales and use tax on Internet and catalog purchases, the Associated Press reported. Rep. Lorence Wenke (R-Richland), chairperson of the House Tax Policy Committee, introduced the main bill in the four-bill package (H.B. 5502 - 5) and stressed, "This is not a new tax, but rather a tax already owed by Michigan citizens.

Read More
16 Mar

Enzi Urges State Legislators to Back Streamlined Sales & Use Tax

On Wednesday, March 10, in a speech before the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C., Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY) called on NCSL members to support the Streamlined Sales & Use Tax Act (SSUTA, S. 1736). Enzi and Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) introduced the bill, which would ensure that the tax system is fair to Main Street businesses, in the Senate in October 2003.

Read More
08 Mar

Millions of Tax Cheats

In this column, which originally appeared in the March 3, 2004, edition of San Jose, California's The Mercury News, editorial writer Miguel Helft explains how calls for "no new Internet taxes" are "nothing more than an attempt to rob states and local governments of billions from an old tax they count on to provide essential services."

You Didn't Pay Sales Tax on That Amazon Book, Did You?

By Miguel Helft

You're probably a tax cheat.

Read More
11 Dec

Internet Sales Tax Round-Up: Wait 'Til Next Year, Maybe

In the past year, in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, bills have been introduced that would allow states to simplify sales tax regulations and give states the authority to require remote sellers to collect and remit sales and use taxes. It is expected that the bills would help states begin to recover from years of budgetary shortfalls by collecting revenue lost through catalog and Internet purchases.

Read More
16 Oct

Enzi Introduces E-Fairness Bill to Level Playing Field for Main Street Businesses

On Wednesday, October 15, Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY) introduced legislation (S. 1736) in the Senate that would allow states to simplify sales tax, with equal tax treatment between local merchants and remote sellers. The bill, the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Act (SSUTA), would help states begin to recover from years of budgetary shortfalls by collecting revenue lost through catalog and Internet purchases. The bill is co-sponsored by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND).

Read More
08 Oct

Congressman Ernest Istook: 'Honest Enforcement of Taxes We Have Now'

On Thursday, September 25, Representatives Ernest Istook (R-OK) and William Delahunt (D-MA) introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would allow states to simplify sales tax, with equal tax treatment between local merchants and remote sellers.

Read More

Pages

About ABA

The American Booksellers Association, a national not-for-profit trade organization, works with booksellers and industry partners to ensure the success and profitability of independently owned book retailers, and to assist in expanding the community of the book.

Independent bookstores act as community anchors; they serve a unique role in promoting the open exchange of ideas, enriching the cultural life of communities, and creating economically vibrant neighborhoods.

Contact

PRESS INQUIRIES: [email protected]

INDIECOMMERCE: [email protected]

ALL OTHER INQUIRIES: [email protected]

 

 

Copyright 2024 American Booksellers Association. BookWeb is a registered trademark of ABA.
Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Accessibility Statement