European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 10, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday april 10. 1989 the stars and stripes Paga 3 enjoying it while it lasts warm Spring weather hardly lives up id Don town but folks rest Lar or strolling gardens  o be complaining scums far fur away amid the Sunshine her s image of a foggy Day in Lou through i Lyde Park and Kensington the frenetic puce lit general you could look for paces to go up and for some Catalon companies to fold said Bob lever ing. Mcc president of governmental affairs with the direct marketing association in Washington shop pers would be faced with fewer choices and higher  and Exira costs Are says passed along to the con Sumer agreed Marge Gordon whose husband is an air Force Captain at Raf Fairford in England. Gordon who shops by mail for herself her husband and her two Small sons said she s written All her con Gressmen and asked them to oppose the Bill and she s asked family members stateside to do the same. Gordon said she spends As much As $400 n month pm Catalon purchases because she can t find clothes she likes or that fit properly at the base Exchange. I feel like Cata logs Are my Only Choice and 1 Don t want any additional cons pin on me As a consumer she said. Tin trying to save Money not spend  that s the kind of response Levering likes to Cor As he fells in. The proposed new tax collection rules will have far reaching effects. The majority of mail 1 order purchases arc to narc by Check and consumer would be expected 10 determine the appropriate sales tas based on their place of residence and add it to the Purchase Price the Catalon Industry maintain shoppers would make a plethora of mistakes errors it will Cost the in Justry Money to Correct. It will be a Burden for the customer and very con fusing he said. The association Esli Ranies that confusion will trans late into is per cent fewer sales As people give up shop Ping by mail and head to the local shopping mall in Stead. And that , will be bad news in a Cata log Industry already beset by rising paper printing and postal costs. There s a lot of Competition in tins Busi Ness and some companies Are already being squeezed out. Everyone is after he  dollars he said the Catalon Industry s strategy to this Point has been to try  Ilie hew sales tax collection Bill before in gets offic ground. The Bill has been introduced in each of the past two congressional sessions by Texas congressman Jack Brooks a Democrat from Beaumont but in has t Jet come to a vote. So far this year Brooks has t put the Bill into the congressional Hopper but the direct marketing association figures it s just a Mailer of time. Brooks recently took Over As chairman of Lite House judiciary com Mittee and the Catalon Industry figures the texan will use his Emra Clou to try to Advance the Bill. If we Don t Stop this thing Early it s possible Noone will Lake a close look at the Bill s Downside 1  the Catalon Industry s lobbying efforts have paid off with several thousand letters from Consumers ending up on congressmen s desks since the beginning of the year. Hut Catalon companies Aren t stopping there. In the last few weeks a consortium of 19 mail order companies financed a 750,000-Picce mailing to shop pers warning that Brooks Bill could become Law. Levering estimates the Cost of that mailing at More than$250,000, but he also believes in could generate enough consumer opposition 16 derail the proposal. This Bill was a sure thing four months ago he said. The Belling Odds have been reduced a Little bit now.". If the Bill is stopped Martin of the National Gover nor s association says in will Cost the slates much needed  loin of .4.4 states plus inc District of Columbia charge sales tax but no slate has a foolproof system setup for collecting the tax when merchandise is mailed to Consumers Homes. The Only exception is when a mail order company also has a physical presence such As a department store or corporate Headquarters in particular slate in those cases mail order companies collect the lax and pay thai slate ils fair share. Proponents of giving the Stales broader authority 10 collect sales lacs from interstate mail order firms say Pilicy arc trying to make any eventual Law As palatable to inc Industry As possible according to a House Judic iary committee  examples any Bill introduced during this session of con Gress Likely will apply Only to mail order companies with More than $12.5 million in Gross annual sales. Thai would restrict the Bill to perhaps the 300 larges of the 6,500 mail order firms doing business in the United states. States would be allowed to demand payment of sales taxes from mail order companies Only once per Quarter not once per month As is usually done wit department Siors and of her retailers mail order companies also would be git in the right to invest sales tax proceeds for up to 110 dais before turning the Money Over to the states. Barnings would help pay for the extra bookkeeping costs the companies would be asked to Bear. But those arguments Don l carry much weight with mail order shopping devotees. Kathy Kinder and Nancy Ward two frequent mail order shoppers in Frankfurt West Germany Are among those concerned. They re worried that the new tax rules on the mail order business could destroy the convenience of shopping by mail and drive up prices. This could gel really complicated said Kinder Community information coordinator with the Frank Furt military Community shoppers might say forge it especially older people. They Don l want to be bothered with male problems when they , the Secretary to inc Deputy Community com Mander in Frankfurt said the whole idea is just too complicated. She intends to complain to  s always the Hope thai if enough people write in they la say this in t inc car to go ahead with this Law she said