Senator Bob Corker on Thursday released the following statement after the Supreme Court overturned the 26-year-old Quill decision that prevented states from collecting sales tax from out-of-state online retailers.
“I think most Tennesseans would agree that we are fortunate not to have a state income tax, and to help ensure that remains the case, it is important our sales tax system works,” said Senator Corker.
“Today’s ruling is a win for states’ rights and gives states like ours the ability to enforce existing state tax laws. It also levels the playing field between local brick-and-mortar businesses that pay property taxes and hire our local citizenry and out-of-state online retailers paying no sales tax.”
Senator Lamar Alexander said, “The Court’s decision is good news for Main Street business and for states. It correctly leaves to states decisions about who should pay state sales and use taxes and how they should be collected. It stops the federal government from forcing states to prefer out-of-state businesses over Main Street. There still may be a need for Congress to act to adopt the simplified collection of sales tax procedures in the Marketplace Fairness Act that 69 United States senators voted for in 2013.”
Senator Alexander, along with Senators Mike Enzi, (R-Wy.), Dick Durbin, (D-Il.), and Heidi Heitkamp, (D-N.D.), is a sponsor of the Marketplace Fairness Act to give states the right to collect the sales and use taxes they are owed under current law from out-of-state businesses or online retailers.