As the owner of a small Virginia e-retailer, and the Commonwealth Chapter president for the WE R HERE Coalition, I was frustrated with the Times editorial board’s recent column on the Marketplace Fairness Act ("Tax cheats on the 'net," Aug. 27 editorial).
The “countless localities” with separate tax codes that the Times refers to is actually more like 10,000 – each of which, as a small e-retailer, I’ll have to comply with. If I don’t, I could be pummeled with audits, from places where I have no presence, no representation and no government services.
For a business like mine, the mere threat of all of these massive compliance burdens could make me question whether I should even be in business, or whether it’s easier and safer just to call it a day.
There are more than 400 small online retail businesses like mine in Virginia. To us, House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte is a champion for taking a thoughtful approach that recognizes us as taxpayers, job creators and contributors.
We could not disagree more with the Times’ advocacy of legislation that threatens our existence. Rather, we implore the paper to start from the position that e-retailers like me are a dynamic part of our state’s economy – and that any solution to this problem shouldn’t just single us out for scorn and punishment. Only then can we discuss true “fairness.”
