A present majority of Cayuga County legislators supported Gov. Andrew Cuomo's implementation of a state-based sales tax for online retailers, but the resolution failed Tuesday night 6-2 because of the weighted voting system.
A special county Legislature meeting was called to discuss Cuomo's Internet Fairness Conformity Act, which would require online marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon to collect sales tax. Cayuga County Attorney Fred Westphal said the deadline for municipalities to express their support was prior to the full Legislature meeting on March 27.
The State Assembly's budget proposal included the act, but the Senate's proposal did not, according to the resolution.
"Our local business and our brick-and-mortar businesses are at a disadvantage to online marketplaces," said Cayuga County Administrator J. Justin Woods. "This would rectify that and would also generate, hopefully, more sales tax revenue."
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