Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) released the following statement today upon voting in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill allowing for the collection and remittance of state sales taxes from online, catalogue, and brick-and-mortar retailers:
“The Marketplace Fairness Act is not a new tax and it does not increase taxes – it simply levels the playing field. Rather than giving an edge to large Internet companies based in other states, the legislation treats large online sellers the same as Nebraska’s small town, Main Street merchants. Government should not be in the business of picking ‘winners’ and ‘losers.’ By giving online sellers a free pass from collecting state sales tax, the federal government is actively undermining millions of small business owners who invest in our communities and create jobs.”
This legislation does not raise federal revenue; it simply empowers states to collect the revenue they are already owed based upon current law. The Marketplace Fairness Act passed the Senate this evening with broad bipartisan support.