U.S. Senate, incl. MD delegation, passes online sales tax bill

If Congress passes the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013, states might soon assess a sales tax on purchases from Amazon.com.
The U.S. Senate passed on Monday what’s been dubbed the online sales tax bill by a vote of 69 to 27, according to the Baltimore Sun, which also reported that the measure, if signed into law, “would also reduce the increase planned for Maryland’s gas tax.”
From the Sun:

The legislation requires Internet sellers to collect sales tax and send that money back to state treasuries.
The measure would have an additional effect in Maryland: If approved, it would reduce by about 7 cents a 20-cent increase on gasoline that was approved this year by the General Assembly.

Brick-and-mortar business owners say the bill is needed to help them compete with online companies that don’t charge a sales tax. The Sun also reports that Maryland’s U.S. senators, Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, voted in favor of the legislation.
Amazon.com is in favor of the act, according to The Verge. On the other hand, The Verge writes, “eBay and others, by contrast, have argued that the bill would impose serious costs and inconvenience for small sellers, making them manage taxes for every state that chooses to collect.”
The Marketplace Fairness Act would not apply to businesses that sell less than $1 million online each year.