Title
RESOLUTION BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JONESBORO, ARKANSAS SUPPORTING FEDERAL AND STATE LEGISLATION TO ENSURE THE PROPER ASSESSMENT AND COLLECTION OF SALES TAX FROM ALL INTERNET/ONLINE SALES THEREBY CREATING A FAIR AND FREE MARKET FOR ALL BUSINESSES AND CONSUMERS REGARDLESS OF THE LOCATION OF THE BUSINESS FROM WHICH THE PURCHASE WAS MADE.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Jonesboro recognizes that legislation frequently referred to as the Marketplace Fairness and Remote Transactions Parity Act ("This Legislation") is being considered by the United States Congress; and,
WHEREAS, similar legislation was considered by the Arkansas General Assembly during the 2017 regular legislative session; and,
WHEREAS, this legislation would give states the authority to enforce local and state taxes that are already in place and owed by out-of-state online retailers; and,
WHEREAS, this legislation would require retailers to collect and remit sales tax to state and local governments for out-of-state online sales; and,
WHEREAS, all businesses, regardless of their physical location, should be required to collect and remit state and local sales tax; and,
WHEREAS, the playing field, as it currently stands, favors out-of-state internet retailers that exploit a pre-internet loophole, allowing them to evade collecting state and local sales tax even though they sell the same products in the same communities as local merchants do; and,
WHEREAS, as it currently stands, stores with a local retailer must collect sales tax while online stores do not, thereby enabling online stores to undercut local retail prices; and,
WHEREAS, this legislation is not a new tax or a tax increase, but rather enables states to collect taxes that are already due; and,
WHEREAS, this legislation would generate more sales, pay more sales tax to the state treasury, encourage more local retailers, create jobs for local workers and infuse more money into local economies throughout the State of Arkansas.
N...
Click here for full text