House Judiciary Committee Considers Marketplace Equity Act

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 24, 2012 at 6:07 PM

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee conducted a full committee hearing on H.R. 3179, the Marketplace Equity Act. You can watch a video recording of the hearing here.

The Major Players

The hearing was marked by bipartisanship and the need for prompt action, something which all AMSF members can certainly understand. In her opening remarks, Marketplace Equity Act co-sponsor Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) said:

“I’m very proud to have partnered with Congressman Womack on this truly bipartisan effort – if a Republican from Arkansas and a Democrat from California can come together on a bill that deals with tax issues, then the time has really come to finally resolve this issue.”

Well said, Representative Speier!

For his part, Rep. Womack (R-AR) urged his colleagues to pass the bill because e-fairness is based on three conservative values:

• States’ rights;
• Free market competition;
• Keeping taxes low.

He also noted that a solution is needed now and this is an issue that “Congress and only Congress can resolve.”

The Major Themes

An underlying theme in today’s hearing was that inequitable tax treatment creates an unlevel playing field. Congressman Wayne Harper (R-UT) stated, “It is time to end government picking winners and losers in the retail community.”

It was widely acknowledged that unequal sales tax enforcement was hurting Main Street businesses and killing jobs. E-fairness is about protecting those very jobs. As Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) pointed out, “There’s a community at stake here.”

All of this simply underscores Rep. Judy Chu’s (D-CA) call to “get this bipartisan bill to the floor before the end of the year.”

The Inevitable Passage Of E-fairness

One thing seemed clear: there is growing momentum in the House and across the country to pass federal e-fairness legislation this year. Stay tuned to AMSF for more ways you can help get informed and get involved in the fight to level the playing field for all businesses – online or on Main Street.