Mark Obenshain (R), who represents District 26 in the Senate of Virginia, recently published an article in Times Dispatch arguing that Virginia should not have tied funding for a transportation bill to potential revenue of the Marketplace Fairness Act because it is “a flawed piece of legislation”. As he explains, the legislation would require Internet enabled businesses to collect and remit sales taxes in over 9,600 jurisdictions and leave them vulnerable to out of state audits.

“Democratic and Republican lawmakers recognize that the MFA is a flawed piece of legislation and contend that a more thoughtful approach is necessary”, wrote Obenshain. “We do need to pay attention to the fairness issues raised by Main Street businesses across the country. Congressman Bob Goodlatte, a fellow Virginian who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has been working on positive alternatives to the MFA, and I look forward to seeing what he and his committee come up with. But the bottom line is that the MFA has been pending in Congress for a decade without action. The measure is far from a done deal in Congress. There was no dramatic development to suggest that this year would be the year.”

To read Obenshain’s thoughts on the issue, please click here and visit the Times Dispatch.