WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Monday to give states the power to enforce their sales tax laws on online purchases, but the legislation faces a tougher fight in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 69 to 27 to back the measure, which pits brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart Stores Inc and cash-hungry state governments against such Web retailers as eBay Inc and Republicans wary of new tax measures.

WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate voted
overwhelmingly on Monday to give states the power to enforce
their sales tax laws on online purchases, but the legislation
faces a tougher fight in the Republican-controlled House of
Representatives.

The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 69 to 27 to back the
measure, which pits brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart Stores
Inc and cash-hungry state governments against such Web
retailers as eBay Inc and Republicans wary of new tax measures.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – “Tax the other guy, not me!” was the main message from a variety of special interest groups commenting on tax breaks in a report issued on Monday, underscoring the problems faced by the U.S. Congress as it considers a revamp of the tax code.

Republican Dave Camp, chairman of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means panel in the U.S. House of Representatives, commissioned the report.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to move forward with legislation that would allow states to force retailers to collect online sales taxes, though the measure lost supporters after opponents stepped up lobbying this week.

The bipartisan proposal cleared a procedural hurdle after 63 members in the 100-seat Senate backed it; the measure previously was held up by opponents. Critics largely cited potential burdens on small businesses, many in states that do not impose sales taxes.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The popular U.S. tax deduction for mortgage interest is wasteful and does little to spur home ownership, economists from across the political spectrum said at a congressional hearing on Thursday, but many lawmakers mulling a tax code overhaul were having none of it.

Congress is scrutinizing many tax breaks, including the one enjoyed by about 40 million Americans – mainly middle-class voters – for the home mortgage interest they pay.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A day after announcing he will retire from Congress in 2014, Democrat Max Baucus said he will spend much of his remaining time as a senator stepping up his bid to revamp the complex U.S. tax code.

To speed up the process, Baucus said he is eyeing expiration of the federal government’s borrowing authority – coming in late July or early August – as a vehicle for this project, he said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Coffee chain Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which has faced criticism for its low tax rate in Britain, has sought new tax breaks in the United States in comments to a congressional committee.

As U.S. lawmakers move closer to possibly overhauling the tax code for the first time since 1986, scores of companies and interest groups have submitted comments to the tax law-writing Ways and Means Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) – Max Baucus, the powerful
Democratic chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, said
on Tuesday he will not seek re-election next year, improving
Republican chances of capturing his seat and giving him a freer
hand to revamp the tax code.

First elected to the Senate in 1978, Baucus, 71, will become
the eighth senator – six Democrats and two Republicans – to
announce plans to retire at the end of next year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Max Baucus, the powerful Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said on Tuesday he will not seek re-election next year, improving Republican chances of capturing his seat and giving him a freer hand to revamp the tax code.

First elected to the Senate in 1978, Baucus, 71, will become the eighth senator – six Democrats and two Republicans – to announce plans to retire at the end of next year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A measure that would empower states to require out-of-state retailers to collect online sales tax won backing from President Barack Obama on Monday and is expected to pass a legislative test vote in the Senate later this evening.

Fiercely opposed by most online merchants, including eBay Inc, the bill will be the subject of a procedural motion that, if approved, will clear the way for a final vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate later this week.