August 2, 2012 8:39AM 

# The Long and the Short on Internet Tax 

By [Jim Harper](https://www.cato.org/people/jim-harper) 

---

<a class="js-popover-trigger cursor-pointer popover-trigger" data-bs-placement="bottom" data-bs-trigger="click" id="popover-trigger"> 

SHARE 

</a> 

Last week, Steve Titch gave you a [thorough run-down](http://techliberation.com/2012/07/31/defending-limits-on-state-tax-powers/) on the TechLiberationFront blog. Now Tim Carney has a quick [primer on the push by big retailers to increase tax collection](http://washingtonexaminer.com/amazon-joins-walmart-in-push-for-online-sales-tax/article/2503738) on goods sold online.

[S. 1832, the Marketplace Fairness Act](http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/112_SN_1832.html) is Big Retail’s effort to increase tax collection obligations on their smaller competitors, increasing the [taxes you pay](https://www.cato.org/actually-texans-save-600-million-a-year/) along the way.

##### Related Tags 

[Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Technology and Privacy](https://www.cato.org/technology-privacy) 

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).