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Internet Sales Tax Update

The kerfuffle over the “Marketplace Fairness Act,” which would subject internet sellers to sales tax collection and remittance obligations, has abated for the time being. For those who can’t let go of the topic and those who fear (rightly) that the issue won’t go away, here is a little piece I wrote for Forbes (no, I did not write that headline). And here is a link to a discussion on wallstreetoasis.

Striking, to my mind: with the exception of state officials, big retailers, and the U.S. Senate (which voted 74-20 for this concoction), nobody seem to support this exercise in “fairness.” There are potent constitutional arguments against wholly extraterritorial tax collection obligations but that’s not what drives the opposition; it’s visceral.