Corker Praises Passage of Marketplace Fairness Act

Press Release

U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., made the following statement today after voting for final passage of S. 743, The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013.

"I applaud the Senate for passing this states' rights bill that will give states like Tennessee the flexibility to collect the revenues that are due under current law if they choose," said Corker. "I think most Tennesseans would agree that we are fortunate not to have a state income tax, and to ensure that remains the case, it's important our sales tax system works. Today's vote is a step in the right direction in making sure local brick-and-mortar businesses and online retailers are on the same playing field."

In an op-ed in The Tennessean last month, Corker and Senator Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., wrote: "[The Marketplace Fairness Act] is about two words: states' rights. The legislation -- which would allow states to collect state sales taxes already owed on remote purchases from out-of-state-businesses -- is about letting states set their own tax policy without asking Washington's permission. That's the spirit of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and the spirit of this country."

In a Wall Street Journal column last month, former Reagan economic advisor and Nashville resident Art Laffer, wrote in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, saying, "Addressing e-fairness from a pro-growth perspective creates several benefits for the economy."

Last month, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer voiced support for the Marketplace Fairness Act on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier," saying, "The real issue here is the fairness argument -- that if you're an old fashioned store, you have to have your customers and you pay the sales tax and online you don't. Which, I mean, you're already at a disadvantage if you're an old fashioned store: you have to have, you have to cover rent, you have to cover insurance and all that. So I think you want to have something that will level the playing field. You can do it one of two ways. You abolish all sales taxes for real stores and nobody pays. Or you get the Internet people to pay the sales tax as well. I think the second one is the only way to do it, obviously."

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