Amazon Pushes For National Internet Sales Tax

SonicSpike writes "The Governor of Tennessee struck a deal with Amazon.com to allow their operations to move to TN in exchange for Amazon.com not having to collect TN sales tax for the next 2 years. However the Governor noted in his press conference that he is working with Amazon.com to push the US federal government to impose a national Internet sales tax."

Re:Federal Sales Tax

[JeffSh]

Not only that, but yet another tax to collect for the feds, thus creating an operational barrier to entry for new enterprise.

Re:Openned article ...

[larry bagina]

I believe the idea is that the money is turned over to the States. Within 5 years it will most likely turn into a club to beat them into compliance (like highway funds or any other funds for that matter) since monies are withheld from the State if they don't do what they're told.

Re:make it opt-in for states

[hedwards]

That was more reasonable in the days of catalog sales, these days we have these things called "databases" in which people can store records and information. I suggest businesses could rent access or create their own, and then have that problem more or less dealt with.

The whole notion that it's somehow prohibitively expensive or complicated to keep track of is just an excuse in most cases to get an unfair pricing advantage over brick and mortar stores.

Re:Great

[Penguinisto]

To hell with the virtual - why the frig should those of us living in states with no sales taxes in the real world (Oregon) have to pay up for everyone else's, and since when would we be forced to start paying one?

Dunno about you, but it would pretty much change buying habits for most purchases around here. Sure, some things would still be cheaper online after figuring in shipping costs and (now this proposed) sales tax, but things online would end up being far less attractive than before... including a lot of Amazon's stock.

OTOH, maybe it'd be the push needed to support local (offline) business more?

Clearly wrong-headed

[egarland]

As someone who lives in one of the two states with no sales tax, this idea can go screw itself.

As someone who believes sales taxes are regressive and unfair, I can say that my fondest hope is that the internet finally forces the rest of the states to eliminate their unfair sales taxes and I welcome Amazon to move to my state and just tell everyone demanding sales taxes to fornicate themselves with an iron stick.