Political Quotes

“Yes, we were deliberate by including language in the Marketplace Fairness Act to authorize States to require remote sellers to collect taxes that are already owed under current law. It was not our intention to urge States and localities to impose other taxes not associated with sales and use taxes. Another issue that my colleagues and I want to make clear is the reason we included language in the perfecting amendment recognizing tribal sovereignty. Tribes that have adopted sales taxes have the same concerns as States about the collection of taxes on remote sales. During the drafting and consideration of this legislative concept in 2005, Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and I began working with the National Congress for American Indians and the National Governors' Association to find common ground to allow tribal governments the opportunity to participate in the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement, SSUTA. After 2 years of deliberation, tribal government legislative language was included in the Main Street Fairness Act bill introduction in 2007. Although not included in the introduced version of the Marketplace Fairness Act this year, tribal governments requested the ability to collect sales and use tax if they choose to participate in the alternative system, not the SSUTA. Those tribal governments who participate in a streamlined system would agree to the same rules as the States who participate in that system.…”