Re: Amazon boycott

[Cynthia Holt <cholt6@gmu.edu>]

Interesting and somewhat mis-placed I think. Amazon may not 
directly collect the state sales tax and remit it to the 
appropriate state, but all citizens are required to report the 
sales tax they should have paid on online purchases, and did not 
(such as Amazon purchases), when they do their taxes each year. 
In this way, the state gets its sales tax. Maybe the action 
should be an educational campaign to enlighten consumers as to 
their tax obligations. I'm not naive enough to think that 
everyone would comply, but 1) I'm sure their are tax payers out 
their who don't realize that they are supposed to be reporting 
this on their state taxes, and 2) attacking Amazon is not dealing 
with the full issue.

There are other online retailers who also don't collect taxes; 
Amazon is just the biggest target. If we really want to force 
Amazon and other online retailers to collect sales tax and remit 
it to the appropriate state, then perhaps we should be focusing 
on legislators to develop legislation to force the issue, not on 
individual companies.

Sincerely,
Cynthia Holt

On 8/16/2011 9:23 PM, Joseph Esposito wrote:
> Readers of this list may be interested that there is a consumer
> boycott of Amazon starting in California.  See this article:
>
> http://www.baycitizen.org/budget-crisis/story/group-launch-boycott-amazon/
>
> The issue here is the collection of sales or use tax.  Amazon
> won't collect it, claiming the tax is unconstitutional.  That tax
> money goes (or would go) to schools, libraries, and other aspects
> of civic infrastructure.
>
> The argument against the tax (besides the constitutional one) is
> that the boycott is simply a stalking horse for Wal-Mart.  No
> doubt that the policy issues here are complex, as they always
> are, and that the media coverage greatly simplifies them.
>
> I stopped purchasing from Amazon myself when I saw that my local
> public library had reduced its hours once again.  If I am a
> stalking horse for Wal-Mart, no one ever told me.
>
> Joe Esposito