I am pleased that the
Senate has voted overwhelmingly, with strong bipartisan support, to pass the
Marketplace Fairness Act.
Since taking office as
Governor, I have been a vocal proponent of Marketplace Fairness. I sent a
letter to all of my fellow Governors in conjunction with the 2011 National
Governors Association meeting urging them to lobby their Senate delegations on
this important issue. I also submitted written testimony last year to the U.S. Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. And just a few weeks ago, I
joined with Senator Reed, who has been a leader in these efforts, and local
retailers to point out the ways in which Marketplace Fairness will help Rhode
Island businesses.
Not only will the
Marketplace Fairness Act level the playing field between Main Street stores and
online retailers, it will also bring valuable revenue to our state and make our
overall economic climate more competitive. The FY2012 Rhode Island Budget I
signed into law included a trigger to lower the overall state sales tax rate
from 7% to 6.5% if Marketplace Fairness legislation passes at the federal
level.
Now our efforts move to
the House of Representatives. This is an important economic issue that matters
to Governors across the country, and I therefore encourage my colleagues to
contact their House delegations and strongly urge swift passage of the
Marketplace Fairness Act.
