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Republican Governor Supports Democratic House Member’s Plan to End Internet Tax Exemption

In an interview yesterday morning, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds (R) announced his support of the Main Street Fairness Act, sponsored by Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) which would make it easier for states to charge sales taxes on catalog, mail order and internet sales.  One analysis of the mail order and internet sales tax exemption by the Brookings Institution found that the amount of lost sales tax in 2008 was $3.9 billion.

Tags: Internet tax examption, Main Street Fairness Act

Pressure Mounts to Tax Catalog, TV and Web Sales

Influential tech columnist Bill Snyder advocated for an end to the sales tax exemption for catalog and web retailers earlier this month.  And in an editorial today, the Lincoln (NE) Journal Star seconded the motion.  Here is how Snyder put it, “The Internet is no longer a baby that needs to be cosseted and protected from the real world, and favoring Internet business over brick-and-mortar ones via a tax exemption is not fair.”  He goes on to suggest that the current fiscal crisis in many states may pave the way for passage of the Main Street Fairness Act (H.R. 5660), which was introduced this month by Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.)

No industry wishes to lose out on tax breaks, special treatment or other favors from government, but non-store retailers should prepare for the end of this one soon.  It is wholly without merit, and there is a long list of government services to be paid for.

Tags: H.R. 5660, internet sales tax exemption, Main Street Fairness Act, sales tax

ERA Announces Opposition to Latest Online Sales Tax Push

The Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) — of which the major DRTV networks are members — has announced its strong opposition to H.R. 5660, the proposed bill from Congressman Bill Delahunt (D-MA) to require online merchants to collect tax on internet sales.  H.R. 5660 would allow the 24 states who have adopted the “Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement” to require out-of-state sellers to collect tax, whether or not they have a physical presence in the state.  In a prepared statement, Julie Coons, president and ceo of the association, said, “This misguided Internet tax scheme constitutes a heavy blow to online retailers by imposing significant new costs and regulatory burdens as they struggle to survive in these harsh economic times.”  Note the use of the word “scheme” to describe the efforts of lawmakers who — whether you agree with them or not — are doing their jobs.  Electronic Retailing Association Press Release Jul. 8, 2010

Tags: Bill Delahunt, Electronic Retailing Association, ERA, H.R. 5660, Julie Coons, online sales tax, tax

Kardashian Sisters to Launch Nationwide Skin Care Infomercial Thursday

Those omnipresent, reality-TV-star Kardashians will premiere a new infomercial selling a new line of PerfectSkin skin care products this Thursday.  The line, which includes a self-tanner and lip gloss, was developed in association with dermatologist Dr. Ron DiSalvo and will compete on TV against the Proactiv product line.

AOL Stylelist Jun. 15, 2010

Tags: Dr. Ron DiSalvo, Khloe Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, PerfectSkin products

Infomercial Guru Kevin Harrington Plans Reality TV Series

Tony Little partner Kevin Harrington is planning a new reality TV series for ABC TV called Shark Tank, in which aspiring marketers will pitch Harrington and four other investor-moguls on infomercial-friendly, new products.  St. Petersburg Times (Fla.) June 10, 2009

Tags: ABC TV, Kevin Harrington, Shark Tank, tvgoods.com

Judge Pulls Plug on Infomercial King Kevin Trudeau

A federal judge has banned omnipresent infomercial pitchman Kevin Trudeau from TV selling for three years and ordered him to pay a $5 million fine for violating a provision of a 2004 court order that prohibits Trudeau from misrepresenting the content of his books.   The Federal Trade Commission said that the “cure” Trudeau trumpets in informercials for his book The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About amounted to a flat-out lie.  Forbes  WSYR-TV (Syracuse, NY)  Oct. 7, 2008

Tags: Kevin Trudeau