The Amazon Tax

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TPRJones
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Post by TPRJones »

I think that's a different thing, isn't it? I think the original problem was about affiliates: basically the state of New York saying that if someone in New York linked to the item then that person represented a "presence" of Amazon in New York and Amazon direct orders to New York would thus all have to be taxed.

I wonder how the dust settled on this one. I'll have to do some digging tomorrow.
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Post by GORDON »

I don't know. I bought from 2 resellers: one small place in TN, and one small place in IN. Neither were in Ohio, yet I got charged tax from both. 3rd thing I bought that was taxed was from Hasbro... I've never heard of any Hasbro plants in Ohio but I could be wrong.

The 3 things I bought directly from Amazon had no tax at all, as usual.

I've never been charged tax from an amazon marketplace reseller before, and I've probably purchased from resellers 100 times.
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Post by unkbill »

Doesn't Hasbro make etch a sketch. They were made in Ohio.
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Post by GORDON »

Hey NC peeps: your state government is trying to get you.

Amazon is fighting it, for now.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20002870-38.html
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Post by TheCatt »

GORDON wrote:Hey NC peeps: your state government is trying to get you.

Amazon is fighting it, for now.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20002870-38.html
They already make us pay a use tax. Fuck NC.
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Post by GORDON »

Amazon.com filed a lawsuit on Monday to fend off a sweeping demand from North Carolina's tax collectors: detailed records including names and addresses of customers and information about exactly what they purchased.

The lawsuit says the demand violates the privacy and First Amendment rights of Amazon's customers. North Carolina's Department of Revenue had ordered the online retailer to provide full details on nearly 50 million purchases made by state residents between 2003 and 2010.


With their hands in your pockets they could at least play a little pool while they were in there.

But no.
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Post by GORDON »

Amazon pulling out of Texas over tax dispute.

http://www.dallasnews.com/busines....ute.ece
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Post by Malcolm »

“Amazon.com was asked to play by the same rules and has responded by eliminating hundreds of Texas jobs,” said Danny Diaz, a spokesman for the Alliance for Main Street Fairness in Washington, D.C. “Amazon could have chosen to collect the sales tax as Texas retailers do, but instead they opted to protect their special sales tax loophole to the detriment of hardworking families.”

Yeah, because Amazon's got a press that churns out dollar bills so they have an infinite supply of cash. Go fuck yourself, Danny. Stop bitching at retailers for using the insane tax laws at their disposal. Start bitching at your legislators in D.C. and state gov'ts in general for being corrupt beyond description such that they piss away billions of dollars in spending every fiscal year. Go bitch at your legislators for thinking that the same tax logic applied to brick-and-mortar physical locations fifty years ago can in some way be twisted so as to extract the maximum extortion (oops ... taxes) possible from modern, online retailers.




Edited By Malcolm on 1297451438
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Post by GORDON »

TPR, has amazon charged you sales tax in the past?
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Post by TPRJones »

I just checked, and no, no sales tax on my orders in the past six months through Amazon. Probably not before then, either.

Under Texas law, if Amazon doesn't own the fulfillment center, then they don't have to collect tax. The law is that they have to collect tax if they have a "presence" in the state. Contracting with someone for a service does not count as a "presence". This is even weaker than when New York was claiming that their affiliate program represented a presence in their state for taxing purposes.

The state of Texas should first rewrite the law if they want to try to collect those taxes. What they are doing here is just plain strong-arming a business; bureaucratic blackmail if you will.
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Post by GORDON »

They're trying again, except this time a federal law rewriting the mail-order exemption?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20052999-281.html




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Post by Malcolm »

Really was just a matter of time before the law was redone so as to nullify the loophole.
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Post by GORDON »

SC voted against giving amazon a tax break, so amazon canceled a $52M fulfillment center they were opening in SC. Suckas.

http://www.thestate.com/2011....te.html

Here's what's weird:

Most Midlands lawmakers supported the exemption, but opposition fanned by a coalition of small merchants, national retailers and Tea Party activists proved insurmountable, even as Misener came to lobby lawmakers Wednesday in a last-ditch bid to save the proposal.

Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2011....rwSpE9m


Since when is the Tea Party pushing for more taxation?

Another journalist with a mission?
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Post by Malcolm »

I'm sure the 1200 or so people that might have had jobs will be very understanding.
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Post by GORDON »

California implemented Amazon tax,

Amazon immediately severed relations with 25k California affiliates.

http://www.ocregister.com/article....ia.html
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Post by Leisher »

Eventually every state will pass it and Amazon will do all of its business from overseas, ala poker sites.
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Post by TPRJones »

So, basically, California has decided they don't want to be part of the modern economy. Good choice! They don't really need to have business coming into their state anyway, they've got plenty of money already.
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Post by GORDON »

It's really much better when people can buy fewer goods and pay more tax at local brick and mortar stores.
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Post by Malcolm »

Leisher wrote:Eventually every state will pass it and Amazon will do all of its business from overseas, ala poker sites.
I haven't seen it picking up at a high enough pace to agree with that. It's entirely possible some of these insane state laws could be reversed.
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Post by Malcolm »

GORDON wrote:It's really much better when people can buy fewer goods and pay more tax at local brick and mortar stores.
Fairness = everyone is cut down to the level of the most retarded dude playing the game. Technically true.
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