In its struggle against surging online retailers such asAmazon.com Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has unleashed a weapon longshunned by Sam Walton: lobbying.

On July 24, the U.S. House of Representatives JudiciaryCommittee will hold a hearing on a bill to let states collect salestax from out-of-state merchants that sell to their residents. If itis passed, online retailers, which now mostly don't collect salestax, will lose a price advantage that has helped them take businessfrom brick-and-mortar stores.

Wal-Mart, which has been boosting political contributions andstaffing up its Washington office, is one of the prime moversbehind the bill, said Congressman Steve Womack, an ArkansasRepublican who authored the proposed legislation.

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