Senators Reintroduce Marketplace Fairness Act

Last week, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), reintroduced the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would give states the authority to require online and other remote retailers to collect sales taxes in exchange for states simplifying their sales tax systems. The bill proposed last week is nearly identical to the legislation that passed the Senate by a vote of 69-27 in May 2013 but subsequently stalled in the House. In the new Congress, a path to passing online sales tax legislation has remained unclear, as House leadership has been opposed to the Marketplace Fairness Act. However, reports indicate that Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) is working on a companion bill in the House.

Senate Finance Committee Seeks Input on Comprehensive Tax Reform

The Senate Finance Committee announced last week that they are requesting feedback on how to reform the federal tax code to make it “simpler, fairer, and more efficient.” Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) are soliciting reform ideas from individuals, businesses, organizations and advocacy groups in each of the following working group areas: individual income tax, business income tax, savings and investment, international tax, and community development and infrastructure. Submissions are due by April 15, 2015.