Our View

Our View

Politicians taking their tax-grab into cyberspace

It is laughable for successful business leaders who understand their success is based on “earning” a profit from their products or services to watch politicians squirm over not knowing if their tax-grabbing schemes won’t meet their needs, and why their political cohorts in Washington won’t pass laws making it easier for states like Arkansas to collect taxes on Internet sales.

We all know politicians get their money by passing all sorts of taxes on their constituents, implementing fees on services they provide and setting fines for constituents who don’t obey their rules and laws.

But, as we all know, there is never, ever enough, and these very same politicians are always seeking ways to generate new tax money, spreading fears among their constituents that depleting tax revenues will result in cutting government services or even the possibility of a government shut-down.

One of our very own U.S. representatives, Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican who has represented Arkansas’s 3rd congressional district since 2011, is promising to introduce legislation this year to make it easier for states to collect taxes on Internet sales .

Let us point out there is already a federal law that forces businesses to collect sales taxes it is owed if the business has some kind of connection to that state — a physical store, office or warehouse within its borders.

Now, what Womack wants is to force taxpaying consumers to fork over sales taxes regardless of whether or not that Internet business has connections to a particular state.

Womack’s sales pitch is that his intentions are simply to create a level playing field for struggling Arkansas merchants competing against out-of-state businesses that are able to sell products tax free.

Come on Womack, most successful retailers in Arkansas already competes for business on the Internet which makes his argument baseless. The fact of the matter is that Womack is attempting to feed the coffers of cities, such as Little Rock, that are simply struggling balance their budgets.

This is just another snatch and grab attempt on the part of a politician responding to the whining from fellow politicians on the lower levels who are spending more than the local taxes being collected.

Take for instance Little Rock. While this city’s leaders planned for a 2 percent growth in tax revenues it has yet to meet that projection and their spending habits are resulting in them now scrambling for new tax sources.

City officials are scaring their fellow citizens by now saying they will lose their city if they don’t do something about tax grab.

Come on folks, we doubt seriously there isn’t a person who doesn’t know or hasn’t used the Internet to purchase merchandise and if purchased from an Arkansas business we know of no one who complains about paying the state taxes. But, the greed in these politicians now wanting to tax customers for purchasing items from businesses outside Arkansas is short of highway robbery.

How about we suggest these politicians and bureaucrats try to live within their means and stop ripping their constitutes of their hard earned money.