Shaheen Urges Supreme Court to Reject Requirement that Would Force NH Businesses to Collect Online Sales Tax

(Washington, DC) – After today’s oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in the South Dakota v. Wayfair case, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement, urging the Supreme Court to reject South Dakota’s argument that would overturn a previous ruling and force New Hampshire, which doesn’t have a sales tax, to collect sales tax for 46 other states and 9,600 taxing jurisdictions across the country:

“As the Supreme Court considers the South Dakota v. Wayfair case, I urge the court to take into account the substantial burden that small businesses in states without a sales tax, like New Hampshire, would be subjected to,” said Shaheen. “This would create miles of red tape and could have disastrous consequences for small Granite State companies, requiring owners to navigate a complex system that they have no experience using. There is no benefit for New Hampshire with this collection requirement – only cost. I hope the Supreme Court will keep this in mind, and I’ll continue to oppose efforts like this in Congress that would unfairly impact New Hampshire businesses. Leaders at every level should focus on making it easier, not harder for small businesses to succeed.”

The court also considered a report by the Government Accountability Office, which Senator Shaheen requested. The report describes the significant costs of requiring online businesses to collect sales taxes for other states. Senator Shaheen has repeatedly fought efforts in Congress that would impose a sales tax collection requirement, and just last month, introduced legislation pushing back against the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would implement a nationwide collection requirement. Earlier this month, Shaheen joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress to file an amicus brief in the South Dakota V. Wayfair case, in opposition to South Dakota’s argument.