In light of the Delahunt “Main Street Fairness Act” (HR 5660) introduced earlier this month, over at the NetChoice blog Steve DelBianco describes why it is important to consider that “where you sit determines where you stand” when it comes to Internet taxes:
Big-box stores like Walmart and Target support a federal mandate that forces everyone to collect sales tax, even for states where they have zero presence. So why would these giant chains — who already have to collect taxes on their web sales — stand for this?
Because from where Walmart sits, any simplification – even a little – helps reduce their costs. And because these big boys want to impose new tax collection costs on their small online competitors.
He’s also reacting to a post at BNET last week, where Chris Dannen described how big retailers are supporting the so-called “streamlined sales tax”:
“Brick-and-mortar retailers — many of whom have operations online — are some of the most vocal proponents of the new online tax laws. The members of the pro-tax lobby, which includes Best Buy, WalMart ,Target and others, already collect sales tax online, regardless of the buyer’s state, and see Web-only retailers as having an unfair advantage, from How to Tax E-Commerce without Killing Entrepreneurship (and eBay)”
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