Politico has a rundown on the sides being chosen up in the latest showdown over sales tax being collected online. The dividing lines won’t shock you: Wal-Mart and other physical retailers are pushing hard for state sales tax to be collected by all online merchants; online companies don’t think that’s such a great idea.
The fight is currently taking place in Washington, D.C., says Politico:
This week, a third online sales tax bill is expected to be introduced in Congress. “The cart is finally rolling,” said Jason Brewer, a spokesman for the Retail Industry Leaders Association, which supports congressional legislation.
But cybermerchants are fighting back against the march of the big-box stores on Capitol Hill. They’re recruiting Internet activists and sympathetic lawmakers to stand in the way of some of the new legislation on Internet sales taxes. Online merchants, such as auction site eBay, have also added to their lobbying ranks recently to fight the tax push.
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