ONLINE SALES TAX LOOMS

A bipartisan group of senators plans to offer online sales tax legislation on Tuesday as an amendment to a small-business tax credit bill.  Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said the amendment closely resembles their Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill they introduced earlier this year to empower states to collect taxes on online purchases.

Note: This is a bi-partisan bill.  The argument is that allowing purchasers to buy tax-free goods on the Internet is unfair to the local merchant.  While I agree with that concept, the simple and plain fact of the matter is that the local merchant is also selling goods on the Internet through his/her website.  So, that particular argument is null and void. 

The real reason that they want to tax Internet purchases is that the states and local governments want the sales tax revenue.  While many Americans have resorted to buying on the Internet in order to contain costs and survive, this bi-partisan group wants to eliminate that avenue of survival in a time when the country is in dire economic condition. 

The fact that this is a bi-partisan effort underscores my contention that both parties are guilty of running this country down the drain.  While they are enthusiastically going after the tax revenue and your money, neither party seems to be willing to discuss spending cuts with any degree of sincerity. 

We need to make our voices heard in Washington, and the sooner the better. 

That’s MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.