Booksellers Urged to Keep Pressure On for Sales Tax Fairness

By Dave Grogan on Thursday, Apr 4, 2013

With recent wins in the U.S. Senate and the New York Court of Appeals, the campaign for sales tax fairness has gained tremendous momentum. But this week, in an e-mail to ABA bookstore members, ABA CEO Oren Teicher warned that it is now more important than ever to keep the pressure on, and he urged members to reach out to their lawmakers in support of the Marketplace Fairness Act (S.336/H.R.684), most especially to their U.S. senators.

Last week, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of a budget resolution amendment supporting sales tax fairness, and the New York Court of Appeals dismissed a challenge brought by Amazon.com and Overstock.com that claimed the state’s affiliate nexus law was unconstitutional.

Because of these victories, however, opposition to a federal e-fairness solution is ramping up. “It is clear that those who oppose sales tax equity are not giving up the fight,” Teicher wrote in the e-mail. “And so it is more important than ever that we tell our elected officials in Washington just how important this issue is to bookstores and other Main Street retailers.”

S.336 would give states the authority to require remote retailers doing $1 million or more in gross, remote sales nationally to collect and remit sales tax in the state, so long as the state has made simplifications to its tax system as required in the bill.

“This is the best chance we’ve had to succeed since our campaign for a federal solution began, and nothing is as persuasive to your senators and representatives as a direct communication from you,” Teicher noted.

ABA is asking booksellers to contact their U.S. senators and representatives in support of S.336 and H.R.684. Booksellers whose senator(s) voted in support of the sales tax fairness amendment (see roll call by state below) can adapt the “Senate Thank You” letter under the appropriate state and send it to their senators. For booksellers whose senator(s) voted “No,” there is a “Please Support S.336” template letter under the appropriate state. Booksellers who have not yet contacted their representatives in support of the Marketplace Fairness Act are also urged to do so using the “U.S House Template Letter.” The letter templates can be found in ABA’s E-Fairness Action Kit.

Booksellers with questions should contact David Grogan, ABA senior public policy analyst, by e-mail or at (800) 637-0037, ext. 7562.

 

ROLL CALL
Grouped by Home State

Alabama: 

Sessions (R-AL), Yea

Shelby (R-AL), Yea

Alaska:

Begich (D-AK), Yea

Murkowski (R-AK), Nay

Arizona:

Flake (R-AZ), Nay 

McCain (R-AZ), Yea

Arkansas:

Boozman (R-AR), Yea 

Pryor (D-AR), Yea

California:

Boxer (D-CA), Yea 

Feinstein (D-CA), Yea

Colorado:

Bennet (D-CO), Yea 

 Udall (D-CO), Yea

Connecticut:

Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea 

Murphy (D-CT), Yea

Delaware:

Carper (D-DE), Yea

Coons (D-DE), Yea

Florida:

Nelson (D-FL), Yea

Rubio (R-FL), Nay

Georgia:

Chambliss (R-GA), Yea 

Isakson (R-GA), Yea

Hawaii:

Hirono (D-HI), Yea

Schatz (D-HI), Yea

Idaho:

Crapo (R-ID), Yea

Risch (R-ID), Yea

Illinois:

Durbin (D-IL), Yea

Kirk (R-IL), Yea

Indiana:

Coats (R-IN), Nay

Donnelly (D-IN), Yea

Iowa:

Grassley (R-IA), Nay

Harkin (D-IA), Yea

Kansas:

Moran (R-KS), Yea

Roberts (R-KS), Nay

Kentucky:

McConnell (R-KY), Nay 

Paul (R-KY), Nay

Louisiana:

Landrieu (D-LA), Yea

Vitter (R-LA), Nay

Maine:

Collins (R-ME), Yea

King (I-ME), Yea

Maryland: 

Cardin (D-MD), Yea

Mikulski (D-MD), Yea

Massachusetts:

Cowan (D-MA), Yea

Warren (D-MA), Yea

Michigan:

Levin (D-MI), Yea

Stabenow (D-MI), Yea

Minnesota:

Franken (D-MN), Yea

Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea

Mississippi

Cochran (R-MS), Yea

Wicker (R-MS), Yea

Missouri:

Blunt (R-MO), Yea 

McCaskill (D-MO), Yea

Montana:

Baucus (D-MT), Nay

Tester (D-MT), Nay

Nebraska:

Fischer (R-NE), Yea

Johanns (R-NE), Yea

Nevada:

Heller (R-NV), Nay

Reid (D-NV), Yea

New Hampshire:

Ayotte (R-NH), Nay

Shaheen (D-NH), Nay

New Jersey: 

Lautenberg (D-NJ), Not Voting

Menendez (D-NJ), Yea

New Mexico: 

Heinrich (D-NM), Yea

Udall (D-NM), Yea

New York:

Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea

Schumer (D-NY), Yea

North Carolina:

Burr (R-NC), Yea

Hagan (D-NC), Yea

North Dakota:

Heitkamp (D-ND), Yea 

Hoeven (R-ND), Yea

Ohio:

Brown (D-OH), Yea

Portman (R-OH), Yea

Oklahoma:

Coburn (R-OK), Yea

Inhofe (R-OK), Nay

Oregon:

Merkley (D-OR), Nay

Wyden (D-OR), Nay

Pennsylvania: 

Casey (D-PA), Yea

Toomey (R-PA), Nay

Rhode Island:

Reed (D-RI), Yea 

Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea

South Carolina:

Graham (R-SC), Yea

 Scott (R-SC), Nay

South Dakota:

Johnson (D-SD), Yea 

Thune (R-SD), Yea

Tennessee:

Alexander (R-TN), Yea

Corker (R-TN), Yea

Texas:

Cornyn (R-TX), Nay

Cruz (R-TX), Nay

Utah:

Hatch (R-UT), Nay

Lee (R-UT), Nay

Vermont:

Leahy (D-VT), Yea

Sanders (I-VT), Yea

Virginia:

Kaine (D-VA), Yea

Warner (D-VA), Yea

Washington:

Cantwell (D-WA), Yea

Murray (D-WA), Yea

West Virginia:

Manchin (D-WV), Yea

Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea

Wisconsin:

Baldwin (D-WI), Yea

Johnson (R-WI), Yea

Wyoming:

Barrasso (R-WY), Nay 

Enzi (R-WY), Yea
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