Here is a press release from The Coalition for Interstate Tax Fairness & Job Growth, an organization formed to support the Business Activity Tax Simplification Act. For more on the Business Activity Tax Simplification Act (which is supported by the International Franchise Association), read my blog post here.
Washington, D.C., Feb. 14, 2011 – The Coalition for Interstate Tax Fairness & Job Growth, a group representing the interests of small and large businesses nationwide, re-launched today with a new name, website and strategy to combat unfair state and local corporate income taxation.
Formerly the Coalition to Protect Interstate Commerce, the Coalition for Interstate Tax Fairness and Job Growth is urging Congress to enact the Business Activity Tax Simplification Act, which makes clear that a state can impose corporate income taxes and similar taxes only on companies that have a meaningful physical presence in that state. The measure would help thousands of small businesses and millions of consumers by encouraging business growth and job creation. The proposal, which does NOT affect sales taxes, would also finally clarify in law traditional legal principles.
To better articulate its views and more thoroughly educate the public about the issue, the Interstate Tax Fairness and Job Growth Coalition is also unveiling a new website: www.interstatetaxfairness.com. There, the public, consumers, government officials, legal scholars and members of the media can quickly learn about the overly aggressive actions by some states to tax businesses that aren’t even located there and the bipartisan legislation designed to end the practice. The website helps users understand the issue with a state-by-state map of corporate income tax laws and a detailed set of examples of unfair state tax practices.
“As a newly re-launched organization, the Coalition for Interstate Tax Fairness and Job Growth will be even more effective in urging Congress to adopt the Business Activity Tax Simplification Act and ensure that all businesses – both small and large – are treated fairly,” said Jack O’Rourke, chairman of the group. “The stakes of doing nothing are too high. Businesses are being forced to pay these unfair taxes or undertake costly lawsuits to combat them and, as a result, are not investing in more employees, higher payrolls or new operations. That’s a loss for everyone and doesn’t make economic sense.”
In addition to a new name and website, the Interstate Tax Fairness and Job Growth Coalition continues to add supporters in the business community. The Business Activity Tax Simplification Act, which was approved last summer by the House Judiciary Committee, is well on its way to passage in Congress. Its enactment this year is the Coalition’s No. 1 priority.
Supporters of the legislation can be found here: www.interstatetaxfairness.com/who-we-are/
