9:30 am January 13, 2012, by jgalloway
From Walter Jones and Morris News Service:
ATLANTA — Gov. Nathan Deal is considering extending the state sales tax to online purchases, he told newspaper publishers Thursday.
Eight states already tax electronic commerce, but most states have held off because Congress had signaled it would devise a national model to simplify the thousands of tax rates used by state and local governments across the country.
Deal said he wasn’t content to wait on Congress to act on immigration enforcement when he signed a tough law last year and that states may grow tired of waiting for federal leadership on e-commerce, too.
Deal said he wasn’t content to wait on Congress to act on immigration enforcement when he signed a tough law last year and that states may grow tired of waiting for federal leadership on e-commerce, too.
Brian Robinson, a spokesman for Deal, takes issue with those who say the governor is contemplating a new tax. From an e-mail this afternoon:
“It’s current law that all retail sales are supposed to pay a sales tax. He mentioned e-fairness. It’s about collecting taxes that some outlets aren’t paying when they are supposed to.â€
Robinson said companies with a physical presence in Georgia already have to pay a sales tax on online sales, and that they shouldn’t be placed at a competitive disadvantage
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
