Ok, maybe more than two…

Here in PA someone is running attack adds on radio to hype an upcoming attempt to do the same thing specifically to Amazon…

What get’s me are two things:
Does anyone remember taxes being required of mail order catalogs other than for the residents of the same states that business is in (and sometimes a few others – varied by catalog).

And why *just* Amazon? If they really wanted to rake in the revenue they should tax all online sales – including the sites like eBay, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, L.L.Bean etc etc. That would be *fair*(er)…

On the other side of the coin with the tech and code that is currently available perhaps Amazon (and others online who may not realize that after Amazon they are likely next for this treatment) could collect taxes for all 50 states and pay them to preempt some of the faux outrage over the whole deal?
/2c

I had several profitable websites as an affiliate of Amazon. When NC passed their Internet Tax, Amazon dropped everyone in NC that were affiliates. Don’t Texas do that to their internet businesses.

as I said the last time this came up. Thank you for the jobs and the paychecks for employed workers here in TN. Amazon is building two new distribution centers here.

This has nothing to do with taxing internet businesses with no actual physical presence in the state, nor is this calling out Amazon specifically. The original justification for applying the sales tax rules to Amazon was for the “brick and mortar” distribution center located somewhere near Dallas.

Those who wanted to tax Amazon argued that since there was a physical building located in Texas, the sales tax should apply just as it does for any other company with a structure physically located in the state. Those who argued against taxing Amazon stated that since we can’t go to the physical “Amazon store” to buy anything, the sales tax should not apply. This is the argument, pure and simple. It is not as nefarious and broad sweeping as currently implied by the post or the comments.

If I remember correctly, Amazon responded by moving its distribution center out of Texas, so as applied to Amazon, I believe the law would be moot. Unfortunately, passing such a law, in my personal opinion, would deter other businesses, such as Amazon, from bringing warehousing and hence additional jobs to the state. But for states that are getting these distribution centers, brace yourselves to see similar debates in the future.

Is a very bad move by Texas.

There seems to be more action in favor of the tax than against it. I think that eventually Amazon will have to give in and start collecting sales tax in Texas and other states.

Of course, consumers won’t be happy about paying sales tax, and many are already discovering ways to avoid doing so. For example, many consumers in California and New York use package forwarding services from Oregon (where there is no state sales tax) to shop tax-free online, even though their states collect sales tax on online purchases. (You just order with an Oregon address, then have your packages forwarded to your own state, tax-free). See http://bit.ly/mRILaE