Politician to Introduce Tax on Online Shopping

Odds are that if you are anything like me… well, firstly god help you but secondly you likely do a lot of online shopping. Personally, if I could get away with buying groceries online, I would never leave the house. Sadly, I can’t. One of the biggest draws to shopping online is the fact that you get to avoid paying taxes.

If Senator Dick Durbin gets his way, that will soon be over.

Sen. Durbin (D – Illinois) intends to introduce a bill into the United States Senate after their Easter recess that will bring about a tax on all purchases made online. According to Durbin, online retailers have an unfair advantage over brick-and-mortar stores because of this:

Why should out-of-state companies that sell their products online have an unfair advantage over Main Street bricks-and-mortar businesses? Out-of-state companies that aren’t paying their fair share of taxes are sticking Illinois residents and businesses with the tab.

While I’m not necessarily against the idea of imposing state taxes on goods bought online, let’s be perfectly clear: the reason why online retailers are beating the pants off of physical stores is not because you save a dollar or two in taxes. It’s because A.) You can find everything online, and B.) Everything gets delivered to your house. In a time where gas prices are grotesquely high and only looking to get higher, this is a real sticking point for some people.

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