Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Small Business Committee and a cosponsor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, lauded Senate passage today  of the legislation that will level the playing field for brick-and-mortar small businesses and collect hundreds of millions of dollars of uncollected sales tax for the state of Maryland.  The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 would give states the option to require the collection of sales and use taxes already owed under State law by out-of-state businesses, rather than rely on consumers to remit those taxes to the States—the method of tax collection to which they are now restricted. It would require those states to simplify their sales and use tax systems. The Senate bill exempts small businesses with less than $1 million in remote sales.

“Our tax system should be fair for all businesses. The Internet is no longer a novelty but a major marketplace; it should be subject to the same treatment as traditional, brick-and-mortar retailers. The Marketplace Fairness Act would not require a single penny in additional taxes to be paid that is not already owed to each state, and streamlines that collection process for each participating state. For Maryland, this would mean collecting hundreds of millions in unpaid taxes, which would lessen the need for cuts in government services or additional tax increases.

“I urge the House of Representatives to take up and pass the Marketplace Fairness Act quickly. Maryland businesses aren’t looking for special treatment, but simply a fair way to compete against large Internet sellers who charge similar prices but get away without collecting sales tax.  This isn’t about raising taxes. It’s about easing the process to collect state taxes that already are due, but usually go unpaid.”

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