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U.S. Rep. Womack: Time For Online Sales Tax To Be Enforced, Arkansas Losing Out Big Time

Federal law says if you've purchased tax-free online, you need to pay a tax to the state. But, no one's really doing that. The problem: Arkansas relies heavily on sales tax to support essential government services.

When it comes to federal legislation requiring online merchants to collect sales tax, Republican U.S. Representative Steve Womack of Arkansas has long been one the more prominent GOP backers of such a measure.

KUAR's Karen Tricot Steward spoke with Representative Womack on the issue.

On the state level, there are two bills aimed at forcing Amazon to begin collecting sales tax.  Update: A spokeswoman for Amazon said Friday that the company will begin collecting sales taxes in Arkansas on March 1but declined further comment. The move by the e-commerce giant was voluntary.  

Copyright 2020 KUAR. To see more, visit KUAR.

As Content Development Director, Karen Tricot Steward oversees the creation of news and cultural programming and helps set standards and best practices. She manages content on our website and social media. Karen also coordinates the internship program and collaborates with journalism professors at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to teach students, helping fulfill public radio’s goal of serving the community by being a place of learning.