INTERNET: Keep it free of sales tax

On May 6, 2013, the U.S. Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act that requires out of state retailers to collect and remit the due sales tax for out-of-state purchases.

The current status of online sales and use taxes can be traced to a 1992 Supreme Court decision, which held that out-of-state retailers do not have to collect sales taxes for states in which they do not have a physical presence.

In 2012, the total lost taxes for all 50 states was $23.3 billion for Internet purchases. States with out of control debt are scrambling for this tiny scrap, while others are balancing their budgets.

When I drive to Washington to buy a widget, I pay Washington sales tax and go home, and I don’t owe Idaho anything.

What the government wants to do is collect sales tax on my out of state Internet purchases, too. So, I guess they want me to pay Washington sales tax and Idaho sales tax on the same thing. Or, if I only pay Idaho state tax, I am cheating Washington state of the taxes they earned by my purchase from a company in their state.

We pay enough taxes already, and this is heading toward double taxation.

We need to say NO to Internet taxation, because, if nothing else, this will cost companies millions to comply with, and will create new government agencies to monitor and oversee activity.

You decide, and tell your Congressman to make the moratorium on Internet taxation permanent.

MICHAEL AHLMAN

Hayden