House Judiciary Committee Moves Forward On eFairness

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Council of Shopping Centers is calling for immediate Congressional action on legislation to create marketplace fairness after the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing this morning on the Internet sales tax issue.

"We applaud Chairman Goodlatte and the House Judiciary Committee for holding today's hearing," said Michael Kercheval, president and CEO of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). "While we are pleased the Committee has taken the time to hold another hearing on this important issue, it's time to move legislation forward. Brick-and-mortar retailers continue to suffer because of a decades-old sales tax loophole."

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) previously released a set of principles that he believes must be embodied in a bill in order to be considered by his committee. Today's hearing showed that there is widespread bipartisan consensus on leveling the playing field for brick-and-mortar retailers and that there is an urgent need to enact legislation this year.

"ICSC has been a strong supporter of the Marketplace Fairness Act, but we certainly consider other workable solutions to this problem to be possible", said Betsy Laird, senior vice president of global public policy. "ICSC has significant concerns, however, about the origin sourcing concept that would undermine the purpose of passing legislation by creating tax havens for remote sellers and placing a new tax on consumers, forcing purchasers to pay sales and use taxes to a state that they do not live or vote in," added Laird.

ICSC has promoted sales tax fairness for nearly two decades, advocating that a "sale is a sale" regardless of whether the purchase takes place on Main Street, at shopping centers, over the Internet or with a smart phone. For more information about sales tax fairness and how the current obsolete sales tax system is unable to support the 21^st century retail marketplace please visit www.21stcenturyretail.org.

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About ICSC
Founded in 1957, ICSC is the premier global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its more than 63,000 members in over 100 countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers, as well as academics and public officials.  As the global industry trade association, ICSC links with more than 25 national and regional shopping center councils throughout the world.  For more information, visit www.icsc.org.

SOURCE International Council of Shopping Centers