Oregon senators fighting Internet sales tax

Shopping on the Internet could get a little more expensive for states with a sales tax, but that doesn’t mean Oregonians will be unaffected.

Congressional leaders in Washington are debating a new bill that would require online companies to collect sales taxes for states and local governments.

It’s called the “Marketplace Fairness Act,” and supporters say it will generate billions of dollars in sales taxes for states and cities across the U.S.

During a Senate floor session on Monday, Sen. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) both spoke out against the bill, saying it will hurt businesses and send more online sales overseas.

“This bill will not generate a dime for Oregon,” Merkley said. “What it will do is generate a lot of costs for our Oregon businesses, to have to collect the sales tax for innumerable local and state jurisdictions across the nation.”

Wyden called it the “Shop Mexico, shop Canada and shop China bill.”

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill before the end of the week.