“The time has come for Idaho to prepare for a potential change in federal law to address the issue of tax equity. It’s called the Marketplace Fairness Act,” Gov. Butch Otter told lawmakers. “As many of you know, that legislation now before Congress would clarify the legal authority of states like Idaho to impose and enforce a sales tax on interstate purchases of goods online.” He said, “Not only is this a fundamental matter of fairness for those brick-and-mortar businesses in our communities. It also is a matter of securing our own long-term prosperity. Simply put, every dollar of sales tax from online purchases that goes uncollected is the better part of a dollar that is NOT going to support the necessary and proper roles of our state government – especially meeting the education and infrastructure needs of our growing economy.”

He added, “Congress has yet to act. But the legislation has support from within our own Idaho delegation.”