Senators Introduce Bipartisan Marketplace Fairness Act

Press Release

A bipartisan group of Senators today introduced a bill that would allow local brick-and-mortar retailers to compete on a level playing field with out-of-state sellers. The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2015 would give states the option to require out-of-state businesses, such as those selling online or through catalogs, to collect and use taxes already owed under State law the same way local businesses do.

U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) along with Assistant Senate Democratic Leader, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) also sponsored similar legislation during the last Congress which passed on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis by a vote of 69 to 27 on May 6, 2013.

"The Marketplace Fairness Act is about supporting the jobs we have in our towns. It is about the people who are our neighbors who work in our local stores. Right now, thousands of local businesses are forced to do business at a competitive disadvantage because they have to collect sales and use taxes and remote sellers do not," said Enzi. "The Marketplace Fairness Act would put Main Street businesses on a level playing field with online retailers. In 2013, the Senate passed this bill with bipartisan support. It's time to give states the right to enforce their own laws without having to get permission from Washington."

"Businesses in Illinois are looking for a level playing field," said Durbin. "We came close in the last Congress, but the bill was never acted on in the House of Representatives. I hope that in the 114th Congress we can do what's right for businesses in Illinois and around the country."

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