Tester Slams Supreme Court’s Sales Tax Decision

Senator: Montana Businesses Shouldn’t Collect Taxes on Behalf of Other States

(U.S. Senate)-U.S. Senator Jon Tester today slammed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to force Montana businesses to collect sales taxes on behalf of other states when their residents purchase our goods and services online.

“Montanans don’t pay sales taxes and we shouldn’t be in the business of collecting sales taxes,” Tester said. “I will relentlessly defend Montanans and hold Washington accountable to pass a law to reverse this disastrous decision by the Supreme Court.”

Tester has been leading the charge to protect Montanans from a nationwide online sales tax and earlier this year he introduced a resolution to prevent other states from forcing Montanans to collect sales taxes.

Tester was the only member of Montana’s Senate delegation to oppose the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was the deciding vote on today’s decision to force Montanans to collect and remit sales taxes to help shore up the finances of other states.

Montanans have overwhelmingly rejected a statewide sales tax on the ballot twice by more than a 2-1 margin in 1971 and 1993.