Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke County, says he and his House colleagues are willing to talk about alternatives to automatic federal spending cuts set for next month, but he says he hasn’t heard any real alternatives from the Senate or White House.

Goodlatte said there may be better ways of cutting spending than the automatic cuts, called sequestration, but said spending has to be cut.

“We’re anxious to sit down and talk,” Goodlatte said.

“I do think there are better ways to cut, but it is not better to not do any cuts at all.”

Goodlatte, in town to host a session by Google staff to brief small businesses on online marketing, also said he has big questions on a renewed proposal to require collection of sales tax from online businesses’ interstate sales.

Goodlatte, who leads the Congressional Internet Caucus, said any such requirement would need to make sales tax collection was not  burdensome, since states set a variety of rates and apply taxes to differing lists of goods and services.

An interstate compact on sales tax collection is a key first step, Goodlatte said. One useful approach might be to set one national rate on interstate online sales, while letting each state charge what it likes on sales on sales within the state.