Yesterday, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) spoke on the Senate floor against efforts to pair the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) or the Remote Transactions Parity Act (RTPA) with a permanent extension of the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA). In her speech, Senator Ayotte strongly criticizes the MFA/RTPA “scheme” which would force online retailers in New Hampshire to collect and remit sales tax on remote sales all over the country. As a vocal and longtime opponent of the MFA, the Senator expressed concern that the RTPA, introduced last week by Congressman Jason Chaffetz, is even worse. She was particularly critical of the RTPA’s privacy implications, under which Internet-enabled retailers will be forced to use Certified Software Providers, which will collect sensitive personal information on each and every remote sale.

Senator Ayotte’s speech complements a similar speech delivered last week by her colleague Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). eBay thanks Senator Ayotte for her continued support of small, Internet-enabled businesses in New Hampshire and across the country.