In its struggle against surging online
retailers such as Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has
unleashed a weapon long shunned by Sam Walton: lobbying.
On July 24, the U.S. House of Representatives
Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on a bill to let states collect sales
tax from out-of-state merchants that sell to their residents. If it is passed,
online retailers, which now mostly don’t collect sales tax, will lose a price
advantage that has helped them take business from brick-and-mortar stores.
Wal-Mart, which has been boosting political
contributions and staffing up its Washington office, is one of
the prime movers behind the bill, said Congressman Steve Womack, an Arkansas Republican who
authored the proposed legislation.
