Press Room

WASHINGTON, D.C –The Marketplace Fairness Coalition released the following statement today in response to the reintroduction of the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) in the U.S. Senate and the Remote Transaction Parity Act (RTPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives:

"The reintroduction of bipartisan and bicameral E-Fairness legislation is an important step in the right direction to help American businesses and workers thrive and grow.

"For too long, congressional inaction has created an outdated, pre-internet online sales tax loophole that hurts Main Street job creators. Communities across America are forced to live with crumbling infrastructure and cannot hire teachers and first responders thanks to the lost revenue resulting from this loophole.

"It's time for Congress to bring our tax system into the 21st Century and pass federal E-Fairness legislation immediately."

The bipartisan RTPA bill was reintroduced by U.S. Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD-AL), Steve Womack (R-AR-3), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT-3), Steve Stivers (R-OH-15), Lou Barletta (R-PA-11), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK-2), John Conyers (D-MI-13), Jackie Speier (D-CA-14), Peter Welch (D-VT-AL), Suzan DelBene (D-WA-1), and David Cicilline (D-RI-1).

The bipartisan MFA bill was reintroduced by U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). Cosponsors include Roy Blunt (R-MO), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). The legislation passed with strong bipartisan support in 2013.

Additional Information:

In 2013, The Marketplace Fairness Act Passed In The Senate, 69 To 27, With Strong Bipartisan Support. "The so-called Marketplace Fairness Act would allow the 45 states (and the District of Columbia) that currently charge sales taxes to require large online retailers to collect tax on purchases made by their residents. The law would only apply to online sellers that have sales of at least $1 million outside of states where they have physical operations, like a store or a warehouse. The Senate voted 69 to 27 to approve the bill, which enjoyed bipartisan support." (Melanie Hicken, Senate Approves Internet Sales Tax Proposal, CNN Money, 5/7/13)

In 2015, States Lost An Estimated $26 Billion To The Online Sales Tax Loophole. "States and localities forfeited close to $26 billion in sales taxes from remote sales in 2015, your Morning Tax author reported, based on new research from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the International Council of Shopping Centers. (Both those groups are big fans of giving states much greater latitude in collecting those taxes, be it through legislation or a Supreme Court ruling.)'" (Bernie Becker, "That's A Lot Of Bowflexes," Politico Morning Tax, 3/23/17)

NGA Vice Chair Nevada Governor Sandoval Called E-Fairness A "Common-Sense Tax Issue With Broad Bipartisan Support" And Asked On Congress To "Put This Longstanding Issue To Rest." GOVERNOR SANDOVAL (33:23): "The Governor talked about online sales, and while I'm on the subject of tax reform let me also bring up this opportunity to bring up this common-sense tax issue with broad bipartisan support that has been on the congressional docket for decades – affirming states ability to collect sales tax from online purchases. The time has come to put this longstanding issue to rest and pass legislation that allows states to collect revenue already owed but currently uncollectable." (Gov. Brian Sandoval, NGA 2017 State Of The States, Washington, D.C., 1/25/17)

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Contact for more information:
Jared Favole
Marketplace Fairness Coalition
202-822-1205