Debate Over Internet Tax Language Seen as 'Big Hold-up' in Senate Passage of Customs Bill
The ongoing debate over whether to keep a permanent extension of the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) in the conference Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act (H.R.644) and a proposal to attach the controversial Marketplace Fairness Act to HR-644 is “the…
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big hold-up” delaying Senate consideration of H.R. 644, said U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President-Government Affairs Bruce Josten after a news conference Jan. 14 on the industry group's business priorities for 2016. Supporters of keeping the permanent ITFA extension in H.R. 644, customs reauthorization legislation, are seeking support for overriding an expected point of order from Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., that would challenge the provision as being outside H.R. 644's intended scope (see 1601140004). Although it would be “pretty easy” for everyone to support a permanent extension of ITFA, Durbin's quest to pair MFA with the ITFA extension has “complicated” the process, Josten told reporters. MFA passed the Senate last Congress but it's “never been considered” in the House, even via the House Judiciary Committee, Josten said. MFA “needs to be socialized” in the House and “dealt with through regular order, and it hasn't been,” he said.