The Seattle Times in favor of closing a tax loophole that should be regulated by federal law under the commerce clause of the Constitution.
WASHINGTON'S delegation in Congress, Democrat and Republican, should support the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bipartisan Senate bill that would allow states to collect sales taxes on online and catalog purchases across state lines.
For years, Washington residents have escaped sales taxes by buying online. People have enjoyed doing this, brushing aside the irksome thought that they were shortchanging local merchants, wiping out local jobs and undermining local governments. When the Internet was small and times were good, their irresponsibility could be overlooked. No longer.
Most states have an income tax. Our state does not, and has voted four times against one. If a sales tax is what the people want, they must update it for the 21st century — and in an Internet world, that means collecting the tax across state lines.
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Seattle Times Newspaper Editorials: Bill to tap into online sales-tax revenue makes sense
This has been a loophole large enough to drive a UPS truck through the Washington State economy for a decade.
This is one of many distortions to the economy that need to be resolved.
Have a great day,
Mike Baker
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