Oklahoma House Approves Online Sales Tax Bill

The Oklahoma House passed a bill Thursday that would allow the state to collect sales tax on online purchases

The House voted 51-39 in favor of House Bill 2531, the "Oklahoma Retail Protection Act" and sent in to the state Senate.
   
Republican Representative Chad Caldwell of Enid authored the bill and says it closes a loophole in state law that he says is harmful to Oklahoma retailers. 

Under current law, businesses with a physical presence in the state must collect and remit sales tax while out-of-state retailers are exempt. The bill passed by the House Thursday would require out-of-state retailers to collect state sales taxes.

Oklahomans are currently required to keep track of their out-of-state purchases and pay a use tax on their state tax returns. Caldwell says only 4 percent of taxpayers do that each year.

The Senate approved a similar measure, Senate Bill 1301, and sent it to the House.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.