Womack, Speier Join Small Businesses to Call on House to Pass Marketplace Fairness Act

Press Release

With the U.S. Senate's recent vote showing overwhelming support of the Marketplace Fairness Act, the original sponsors of H.R. 684 today joined a group of small business owners from across the country to urge members of Congress to support the Marketplace Fairness Act (H.R. 684).

Under current law, while brick-and-mortar retailers collect sales and use taxes from customers who make purchases in their stores, many online and catalog retailers do not collect the same taxes. H.R. 684 empowers states to have the option of requiring out-of-state sellers to collect sales and use taxes -- rather than rely on consumers to remit those taxes -- if states simplify their sales and use tax systems.

After the press conference, the members released the following statements:

"The time has come to close the 20 year old tax loophole that has put the federal government in the business of picking marketplace winners and losers. Our Main Streets aren't asking for special treatment, just simply for an honest chance to compete against their online counterparts instead of having to play by two different rulebooks," said Womack. "The Senate's vote showed what we already knew: there is strong, bipartisan support for the Marketplace Fairness Act. Now, the House must take up this bill and get this done once and for all."

"Congress talks a good story about protecting small businesses -- here's a chance to really do something. The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 represents a fair and workable solution for both brick-and-mortar and online retailers and for our local communities," said Speier. "The Internet marketplace is no longer in its infancy. It's time for our tax laws to catch up with the modern marketplace and take government out of picking retail winners and losers."

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