Sales Tax Initiative

On Monday, June 15, Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Steve Womack (R-AR) joined with a bipartisan group of legislators to introduce the Remote Transactions Parity Act, a bill that gives states the authority to require remote sellers doing $10 million or more in gross annual receipts to collect and remit sales tax to the states.

On June 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, a bill that would both permanently prohibit states from taxing access to the Internet and prohibit taxes on bandwidth and e-mail, according to media reports. 

2015 Children’s Choices List released; PEN calls for 2016 literary awards submissions; Nebraska votes to reduce property taxes when federal e-fairness passes; 27th Annual Lambda Literary Award winners announced; Midwest Booksellers Choice Awards finalists announced; Zazzle and Candlewick Press launch online shop

Amazon began collecting sales tax on purchases made by Ohio residents on Monday, June 1; however, the decision to collect is part of deal to build data centers in the state that includes millions in tax subsidies, as well as land and tax deals.

Though marketplace fairness legislation was not on Tuesday’s formal agenda for the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial, and Antitrust Law, members of Congress and key witnesses made clear that it remains the top issue for Congress to address on state taxation issues.

In this commentary from the op-ed page of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance explains why the news that Amazon wants to expand its footprint in Minnesota — but only if it wins significant public subsidies — should put taxpayers and public officials on high alert.

On Tuesday, the Louisiana House Ways & Means Committee held a hearing on affiliate nexus bills that would require remote retailers to collect and remit sales tax in the state. Testifying in support of the bills was ABA member Tom Lowenburg of Octavia Books.

ABA is urging booksellers to follow up a letter sent by B&N CEO Michael P. Huseby and ABA CEO Oren Teicher to Ohio Gov. John Kasich with their own letters calling for an e-fairness solution in the state.

CBC and WNDB partner on internship program; GLIBA, MIBA bestseller lists debut; Shortlists announced for 2015 PEN Literary Awards; SIBA Book Award finalists announced; ALA releases list of most frequently challenged books of 2014; S&S’s Wendy Sheanin promoted; New Zealand booksellers and retailers launch eFairness campaign

This week, ABA CEO Oren Teicher and B&N CEO Michael P. Huseby sent a letter to Ohio Gov. John Kasich calling for a state sales tax fairness solution.

With the outlook on federal sales tax fairness unclear, a Washington State lawmaker has introduced legislation that he believes could lead the U.S. Supreme Court to re-evaluate nexus in states.

On Tuesday, a group of U.S. senators reintroduced the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that would level the playing field for Main Street retailers.

On March 5, the European Union’s top court ruled that EU countries must charge the full value-added tax on e-books. The court found that e-books are not subject to the same tax reductions as physical books, as they are considered a service.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that sent a challenge to a Colorado use tax law back to federal court has sparked hope among proponents of e-fairness.

Independent businesses experienced strong sales growth in 2014 as more consumers embraced the “buy local” movement and ditched big companies in favor of supporting local retailers and small-scale producers, according to the 2015 Independent Business Survey, conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in partnership with Advocates for Independent Business.