House Introduces Internet Sales Tax Bill

The House introduced Monday the Remote Transactions Parity Act of 2015, which would create a roadmap for states to collect the sales and use taxes on Internet sales they already are owed, provide tax parity for brick-and-mortar and internet retailers, simplify state tax filing for individuals, and help address state budget shortfalls at no cost to the federal government.

The bill, H.R. 2775, “would provide a plan for simplification so states may impose collection responsibility equally on retail sales, regardless of whether they occur at storefronts or online,” according to the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts.

The RTPA legislation would also “provide an exemption for small remote sellers and would relieve consumers of having to self-report sales and use taxes they already owe,” according to NAREIT, which is a member of the Marketplace Fairness Coalition, a broad group of businesses and trade associations that supports RTPA.

Steven Wechsler, NAREIT’s president and CEO, said the House bill “would create a more level playing field on which all retailers may compete.”