In the past week, Massachusetts booksellers David Didriksen and Carole Horne and Vermont booksellers Liza Bernard and Chris Morrow participated in hearings in support of sales tax fairness legislation in their respective states.
It is shaping up to be a notable year for sales tax fairness, as more states introduce, pass, or sign sales tax fairness legislation into law despite threats by Amazon.com and Overstock.com to terminate sales affiliates or close warehouses.
This week, ABA hosted sales tax fairness workshops at Booksellers Forums in Salt Lake City, Utah, in conjunction with MPIBA, and Manhattan Beach, California, in conjunction with SCIBA.
As the sales tax fairness fight continues to gain momentum nationwide, on Monday, March 28, booksellers in Connecticut and Texas testified before legislative committees about pending legislation.
There have been two recent victories in sales tax parity – affiliate nexus legislation approved by the Arkansas legislature, and, in South Dakota, new legislation enacted into law.
George Skelton, political columnist for the Los Angeles Times, believes that Amazon.com and other online sellers that have affiliates in the state of California should be paying sales tax on purchases by in-state residents.
In a March 18 editorial, the New York Times said, “Collecting state taxes is not an unreasonable burden for online retailers,” and “states should not give in to Amazon’s pressure tactics.”
On the heels of the passage of an affiliate nexus law in Illinois, sales tax fairness bills in Vermont, Arkansas, and Minnesota have had early successes.
In what is a significant victory for sales tax fairness, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn today signed sales tax fairness legislation into law. HB3659 will require remote retailers with broad networks of online affiliates in Illinois to collect and remit sales tax for purchases made by Illinois residents.
