Senator’s Proposal for Sales Tax Relief Gets Chilly Reception

A proposal by Sen. Maggie Hassan to help small businesses navigate the dizzying number of state and local sales tax laws that have cropped up over the past six years got a cool reception this week at a conference dedicated to the issue.

The New Hampshire Democrat’s suggestion last month that Congress could help businesses with compliance and block states from collecting retroactive taxes is an “intrusion” that would “trample states’ rights,” said Utah state Sen. Curtis Bramble (R).

“Sales tax, the administration, the enforcement, collection setting, and the standards, have always been a state-by-state issue,” Bramble, co-chair of ...