Current Issues

The Merchants Payments Coalition sponsored a letter to the House Financial Services Committee reminding policymakers that the merchant community needs greater competition and fairness in the payments marketplace.  NSGA was a signatory to the letter and is a member of the Merchants Payments Coalition. Read the full Merchants Payments Coalition letter.

NSGA sent a letter supporting the Federal Trade Commission’s and 17 states’ antitrust charges against Amazon concerning marketplace dominance and self-preferencing. Read NSGA’s statement here. 

The Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC) is urging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to withdraw a pending rule that would block state-level bans on credit card swipe fees, such as Illinois’ Interchange Fee Prohibition Act. Retailers argue the federal rule endorses anticompetitive price-fixing by major card networks and could lead to higher costs for both merchants and consumers across a broad range of bank fees. Read More.

The Merchants Payments Coalition calls on the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to retract rules blocking state laws on credit card swipe fees.  The OCC’s ruling is a contradiction of President Trump’s prior endorsement of the Credit Card Competition Act. Read More.

NSGA, a member of Small Business Rising, supports Senator Chris Murphy’s new bill, the Fair Prices for Local Businesses Act, aimed to strengthen the Robinson-Patman Act and ensure a level playing field for small businesses.  The Robinson-Patman Act, passed in the 1930s, made it illegal for dominant retailers to use their power over suppliers to secure lower prices and other benefits while simultaneously raising the prices for competing, smaller stores. Read More.

In a recent decision, the US Supreme Court struck down the Liberation Day tariffs, ruling that the Administration exceeded its authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the statute originally invoked to justify the emergency use of these tariffs. The Court determined that IEEPA does not grant the power to impose tariffs of this nature, rendering the program invalid. Read More.