Amid the hue and cry over Alabama's budget crisis, one possible source to shore up the General Fund isn't getting much attention.

How about collecting e-commerce taxes that are already due, but rarely paid? The Marketplace Fairness Act, again before Congress, would allow states to collect sales taxes when residents make online purchases from out-of-state retailers.

An Alabama commission is quietly working to prepare for potential passage of the law. Approved by the U.S. Senate in 2013, the bill was blocked in the U.S. House in 2014 by Republican Speaker John Boehner, even though it has broad bipartisan support.

Most governors, including Gov. Robert Bentley, rightly favor its passage this year.

The tax, technically, is already due. When an Alabama resident, for example, purchases a product online, but the Internet retailer doesn't charge state sales tax, the customer is supposed to pay a use tax to the state Department of Revenue. But almost no one does.

By allowing states to collect the taxes directly from online firms, Congress will create a fairer competitive climate for local businesses that must charge their customers sales tax.

The kink in the system is a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said companies aren't subject to sales or use taxes in states where they don't have a physical presence, such as a store or warehouse. That essentially gave remote sellers an unfair pricing edge over brick-and-mortar shops.

Smaller online retailers object they'll be put out of business by the costs of collecting the tax, but those with less than $1 million in annual sales are exempt from the requirement.

Alabama would have to streamline its tax system to be in compliance with the Marketplace Fairness Act, but the return on any costs incurred will be well worth the investment.

Estimates on the new revenue it would bring to Alabama each year vary but go as high as $347 million, had the tax been collected in 2012, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

A study by the University of Alabama Birmingham's School of Business pegged the number of dollars lost when e-commerce remains untaxed at more than $260 million per year.

Whatever the accurate figure, those aren't numbers to ignore when Alabama's courts, prisons, state troopers, parks, and other agencies badly need new revenue.

And, since Internet sales continue to grow, the return could be substantially higher.

The Marketplace Fairness Act levels the playing field for online sellers and local businesses, and could go far to remedy long-term revenue ills in states across the nation.

Alabama's congressional delegation should work aggressively to get the Internet sale tax legislation passed this year.

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