(Minneapolis, MN) – A statewide poll released by the National Taxpayers Union and the R Street Institute today finds that Minnesota voters overwhelmingly oppose out-of-state tax collection on Minnesota’s online merchants.
In the survey of likely 2014 general election voters in Minnesota, a strong majority (61 percent-27 percent) expressed overwhelming opposition to legislation like the “Marketplace Fairness Act,” which “would allow tax enforcement agents from one state to collect taxes from online retailers based in a different state.” They also indicated their belief that the Internet should remain as free from regulation and taxation as possible (by a 43-point margin).
“Folks in the Land of 10,000 Lakes are clear in their belief that the purpose of the Internet is to better their lives, not fund the governments of Illinois or California,” said Pete Sepp, Executive Vice President of National Taxpayers Union. “It should be no surprise that support for a free Internet resonates among Minnesota voters of all affiliations, including independents. Sensible Minnesotans are rightfully concerned that this issue is about much more than taxes on e-commerce … it’s about expanding the tax collection and auditing powers of revenue departments outside the state, at the expense of home-grown businesses inside the state.”
“It’s clear that Minnesota voters have strong misgivings about Internet sales tax proposals pending before Congress, and are equally strong in their support for an Internet free from government regulation,” said Andrew Moylan, Executive Director and Senior Fellow at the R Street Institute.
A statewide survey of 400 likely voters in Minnesota was conducted June 4-5, 2014 by live telephone interviewing. Thirty percent of the interviews were conducted using a cell phone sample. The margin of error is ±4.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.
National Taxpayers Union (NTU), “The Voice of America’s Taxpayers,” was founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes, limited government, and economic freedom at all levels. The citizen group has 362,000 members nationwide and over 7,000 members in Minnesota.
The R Street Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan, public policy research organization (“think tank”). Its mission is to engage in policy research and outreach to promote free markets and limited, effective government.