Please send a letter to the sponsors of the Remote Transaction Parity Act of 2015 encouraging them to introduce this needed legislation. Copy and past the sample letter below or download the Word version.
June 08, 2015 [or date sent]
| The Honorable Jason Chaffetz United States House of Representatives 2236 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 |
The Honorable Steve Womack United States House of Representatives 1119 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 |
Dear Representatives Chaffetz and Womack;
On behalf of [insert business name], and the thousands of other Main Street retailers throughout Alabama, I am writing today to offer our strong support of the Remote Transaction Parity Act of 2015 (RTPA). This legislation, levels the playing field for Main Street brick-and-mortar businesses by closing a loophole that puts them at a competitive disadvantage to online retail giants.
[Insert statement about your business, niche in the market, retail jobs provided, etc. Include any relevant information about action you may have taken on this issue in the past, if applicable]
Because of a decades-old loophole that pre-dates the Internet, online-only companies can achieve as much as a 10-percent price advantage over brick-and-mortar retailers by not collecting state sales taxes. This special treatment means government is picking winners and losers in the marketplace with the end result being local businesses like mine in Alabama simply cannot compete over the long term with online giants that enjoy a government-sanctioned competitive advantage.
This loophole is costing jobs on Main Street while shortchanging state budgets by an estimated $23 billion in uncollected state sales taxes annually, a figure that will only increase as Internet commerce continues to grow. Few Americans know that their state requires them to pay the sales tax on purchases made online if the vendor does not collect it at the point of sale, leaving consumers vulnerable to penalties, interest and increased scrutiny from state auditors. If enacted, the Remote Transaction Parity Act would remove this burden from your constituents and in the process empower states to address their budget deficits without having to raise taxes – all without any cost to the federal government.
The strong small business protections such as the audit protections that exist in The Remote Transaction Parity Act will allow businesses like mine to comply with the law without having to deal with overly burdensome state regulations.
In closing, I want to again reiterate my thanks for your leadership in helping to create consensus and a legislative product that has enthusiastic support by the majority of stakeholders. We look forward to working with you to see the Remote Transaction Parity Act of 2015 through to completion this year.
Sincerely,
[Your name, business and title]
To download a Word version of this letter, click here.