Shopping Center Industry Applauds Progress By House Judiciary Committee

House Moves One Step Closer to Passage of eFairness Legislation

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) today commended House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) for moving towards leveling the playing field between online-only sellers and brick-and-mortar retailers with regards to sales tax collection. Recognizing that this is a problem that needs to be addressed, this week Goodlatte will formally release principles he believes must be embodied in the legislation, which is expected to be introduced in the near future. ICSC supports Chairman Goodlatte's effort and has pledged to work with him towards enactment of legislation aimed at the ongoing issue.

"We are very optimistic about this latest development," said Jennifer Platt, Vice President of Federal Operations for ICSC. "Chairman Goodlatte has taken a thoughtful approach to the issue and it is clear that he is prepared to move the process forward."

In May of this year the United States Senate passed its version of The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 69-27. Since that vote, momentum for creating a fair, competitive marketplace has steadily been building. "The principles are an important step forward and we will continue to work with the Chairman on this journey. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that many brick-and-mortar retailers continue to suffer from as much as a 10% price disadvantage and they would like to see the decades-old loophole for online-only sellers closed sooner rather than later," added Platt.

ICSC has promoted sales tax fairness for over a decade, advocating that a "sale is a sale" regardless of whether the purchase takes place on Main Street, at shopping centers, over the Internet or with a smart phone. For more information about sakes tax fairness and the current sales tax system, please visit www.21stcenturyretail.org.

About ICSC
Founded in 1957, ICSC is the premier global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its more than 60,000 members in over 90 countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers, as well as academics and public officials. As the global industry trade association, ICSC links with more than 25 national and regional shopping center councils throughout the world. For more information, visit www.icsc.org.

SOURCE ICSC

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