RILA Lauds Senate Marketplace Fairness Act Vote

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is applauding the U.S. Senate’s vote to invoke closure on an amendment to the Marketplace Fairness Act, foreshadowing final passage of the bill. The legislation aims to give states the ability to better enforce their sales tax laws.

The vote “is proof that the special treatment of big online businesses at the expense of retailers on Main Street will soon be a thing of the past,” said Bill Hughes, SVP for government affairs at Arlington, Va.-based RILA. “The overwhelmingly bipartisan support for leveling the playing field is rare in today’s political environment and paves the way for a level playing field once and for all.”

Added Hughes: “For too long, the Main Street retailers that are an integral part of their communities have faced tax rules that put them at a disadvantage to their out of state, online-only competitors. The Marketplace Fairness Act would simply provide states with the power, if they choose to use it, to ensure that the market, not government, determines winners and losers.”

RILA earlier cited the Marketplace Fairness Act a top industry priority in its public policy agenda.

The bill’s sponsors are Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). Identical legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced by Representatives Steve Womack (R-Ark.) and Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), has also garnered strong bipartisan support.

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