Online sales tax battle pits Amazon against Norquist and Sen. DeMint

Internet retail giant Amazon has been a vocal supporter of the online sales tax effort. Still, there are long odds for an online sales tax to be passed this year. Campaign season is expected to slow down work in Congress, and opponents argue the tax proposals put forward in the House and Senate would be harmful to small business.

A number of conservative heavyweights — from Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) to Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) — have come out against the plans. With prominent Democrats and Republicans having backed legislation for the tax, lobbyists hope that it could enter the debate during a December lame-duck session. Barring that, they are laying groundwork for action in 2013.