California governor signs Amazon sales tax bill

[aGameOfThrones]

California consumers will have to become accustomed to paying for sales taxes on purchases from Amazon.com now that Governor Jerry Brown has signed a new bill into law regarding the controversial topic.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean that all California consumers will see higher shopping cart bills today. Although the bill is supposed to become effective immediately, merchants--including Amazon--are not required to collect sales taxes until September 15, 2012.

The topic has had strong arguments from both sides. From the Amazon point-of-view, not charging sales taxes offers a competitive edge on top of already bargain prices. In weak economy, this has proven especially enticing and helpful to consumers nationwide.

However, opponents to Amazon argued that it hurt small business owners who are required by law to pay sales taxes but sell the exact same products seen on the online megastore's Web site.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20111051-38/california-governor-signs-amazon-sales-tax-bill/

[HOLLYWOOD]

Sounds like Best Buy, SEARS, Fry's, Aarons. RCWileys, and the rest of the BIG BOX stores/corporations lobbied along with government.

No Secret the analysts have said all Big Box electronic stores are dinosaurs... awaiting their too expensive death.

[aGameOfThrones]

Recently Amazon excluded Puerto Rico from their "free super saver shipping". They forced me to buy at brick and mortar stores on account the shipping is more expensive than the tax and the difference in price(on most things I buy).

[libertybrewcity]

Amazon had something going with this, but they stopped collecting signatures...
http://ballotpedia.com/wiki/index.php/California_%22Amazon_Sales_Tax%22_Veto_Referendum_ %282012%29

[Bordillo]

hmm wonder if you could just use a proxy and avoid this tax

[ChaosControl]

It is only fair if consumers have to pay tax there if they have to pay it for local shops, otherwise it is nothing more than a tax advantage to a big box online retailer. I like Amazon, but I see no reason it should get a tax advantage over local businesses. Although, I of course support getting rid of any taxation on purposes rather than taxing Amazon sales. :)

[Keith and stuff]

Easy solution, end the CA general sales tax. Thankfully, where I live, we don't have a general sales tax, so this isn't an issue.

[nobody's_hero]

It is only fair if consumers have to pay tax there if they have to pay it for local shops, otherwise it is nothing more than a tax advantage to a big box online retailer. I like Amazon, but I see no reason it should get a tax advantage over local businesses. Although, I of course support getting rid of any taxation on purposes rather than taxing Amazon sales. :)

Yeah, I can see how the current set up is picking winners and losers using a tax code, but it seems the options were either, 'tax no one' or 'tax everyone', and the government, of course, always picks the latter.

[smartguy911]

hmm wonder if you could just use a proxy and avoid this tax

Tax will be placed based on your shipping address.

[Kludge]

Amazon's pretty much given up on this fight as more and more states begin passing laws mandating websites collect taxes on residents in their state making purchases. The opposing idea's that states have no right to collect sales taxes on a business operating out-of-state. Illinois passed an online sales tax bill targeting Amazon a good while back with that in mind, so Amazon's response was to cut all affiliates from the state, essentially no longer operating in the state.

MI is rumored to be the next state to go through with online sales tax legislation. I still think one of the funniest things I've read in a long while was the MI state income tax section demanding I report online purchases so they could collect tax revenue on it. I mean - if the government weren't to assume you a criminal, they'd know you already pay sales tax on purchases from Amazon.

[Romulus]

Sorry but this is crap. Wal-Mart, Target and other giants have dedicated lobbyist to make sure Amazon and Overstock charge ALL customers sales tax. This is just the door opening... soon it will be off the hinges...

And this is why I support Amazon, because local sales tax here is friggin 9.875%.

[Invi]

:-/
No sales tax is definitely one of the reasons I shop online. It's also why I buy from other people face to face, and not from shops.

Ridiculous.

[ForLiberty2012]

Amazon actually supports this. There's a bill introduced in the senate and house right now to have a sales tax on all internet purchases:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1452/show

Which Amazon SUPPORTS

[Humanae Libertas]

Amazon compromised for this stupid bill. And here I thought Amazon was different from the others since they stood up to the tax at first. Jesus Christ.

[LibForestPaul]

It is only fair if consumers have to pay tax there if they have to pay it for local shops, otherwise it is nothing more than a tax advantage to a big box online retailer. I like Amazon, but I see no reason it should get a tax advantage over local businesses. Although, I of course support getting rid of any taxation on purposes rather than taxing Amazon sales. :)
A local shop, with local police, local fire, local sewage treatment is no different than Amazon, which has no locally needed "services"?

[LibForestPaul]

Amazon actually supports this. There's a bill introduced in the senate and house right now to have a sales tax on all internet purchases:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1452/show

Which Amazon SUPPORTS

Why wouldn't they? They have the services and manpower to handle several layers of bureaucracy? Now a local store, selling to outside residents, how much more will this add to their costs?