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Push is on to collect sales taxes on online purchases
Congress, state say tax on e-commerce would help local businesses
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Ashley Morris, right, makes a purchase Friday afternoon from Angie Miller at Cozy Corner in downtown Gainesville. Congress is debating legislation to require taxes for all online purchases, its supporters arguing that the absence of such taxes hurts brick-and-mortar businesses.
Evelyn Franklin, co-owner of gift shop Cozy Corner on Gainesville’s downtown square, said Internet retailers that don’t charge sales tax on online purchases hurt her business. The U.S. Senate plans to vote Monday on a bill that would authorize states to require businesses that sell online to charge and collect sales tax on the purchases. Georgia already has a law that went into effect in January designed to increase the amount of online sales tax the state collects.