The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013, which was introduced last Thursday, is already receiving strong support from retail and other groups. Those issuing statements about the legislation include:
- American Independent Business Alliance
- National Retail Federation
- Retail Industry Leaders Association
- International Council of Shopping Centers
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- National League of Cities
- Small Business Advocacy Council
- Food Marketing Institute
- Amazon.com
- Sears
Why the strong show of support for the Marketplace Fairness Act? Primarily, these groups say, in order to level the playing field for local businesses. As the American Independent Business Alliance put it in a letter to the senators who introduced the bill, “We ask you to push this bill through to help level the playing field for the many small businesses we represent who are hobbled by the status quo. When remote retailers are effectively subsidized by being exempted from sales tax collection duties imposed on storefront businesses, government is obstructing genuine market competition.”
