Under the Court’s previous rulings, online sellers were able to escape collecting state sales taxes, creating an uneven playing field for brick-and-mortar retailers; today’s ruling overrules those decisions and allows states to collect sales taxes from internet sellers 

Klobuchar has long championed a level playing field for brick-and-mortar retailers and was an original co-sponsor of legislation – the Marketplace Fairness Act – that would have given states the option to require out-of-state businesses, including online retailers, to collect sales taxes that they are already owed

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar today released the following statement after the Supreme Court released its ruling in the case of South Dakota v Wayfair, overruling its past decisions that made it harder for local Minnesota businesses to compete against online retailers. Under the Court’s past decisions, online sellers had been able to escape collecting state sales taxes, creating an uneven playing field for brick-and-mortar retailers. The Supreme Court’s ruling today overrules those decisions and allows states to collect sales taxes from internet sellers.

“From a mom-and-pop store on Main Street to Target and Best Buy, businesses in Minnesota can’t compete if they don’t have a level playing field against online retailers,” Klobuchar said. “Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s previous rulings placed Minnesota businesses at a severe disadvantage that not only cost our state money but unfairly picked winners and losers among businesses. Today’s decision is a huge step towards ensuring all businesses are playing by the same rules.”  

Klobuchar has long championed a level playing field for brick-and-mortar retailers and was an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Marketplace Fairness Act, which would have given states the authority to require out-of-state businesses, including online retailers, to collect sales taxes if a state meets certain requirements, including an easily identifiable tax rate, uniform tax-base rules, and centralized filing and remittance of the sales taxes withheld.

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