Amazon.com & other online retailers costing states $7B a year?

In these stormy days of the ongoing saga between Amazon.com and a number of states (see here, here, here, and here), the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policies Priorities released a riveting report this week concluding, among other findings, that Amazon’s arguments against collecting sales taxes do not withstand scrutiny – costing states up to [...]

Amazon, Amazon, Amazon! And Blue Nile . . . and Now Overstock!

June 30, 2009: Seattle *** Updated July 1, 2009 *** ***Updated July 29, 2009*** see below Amazon Pulls the Plug on Hawaii, Rhode Island Affiliates, Strengthening Its Stance for a More Cohesive Internet Tax Scheme What started with a pull out from its online affiliate system in North Carolina, Amazon.com has now cut ties with [...]

Amazon.com Affiliates in N. Carolina = No More!

June 26, 2009: Seattle Amazon.com severs all ties with business, marketing affiliates in North Carolina There’s huge news here in Seattle that reverberates all across the e-commerce universe: Seattle-based Amazon.com notified its North Carolina business affiliates just last night that it will end all ties, effective today, to avoid collecting and remitting sales taxes in [...]

Amazon.com v. New York: Score One for New York

The media, online retailers, and many states are positively a-buzz on today’s news about the dismissal by a New York state judge of the Amazon.com suit challenging that state’s law requiring certain non-New York Internet retailers to collect and remit New York sales tax. The suit – Amazon.com, LLC v. New York State Department of [...]

Holiday Shopping Season, 2008: Everyone’s Suffering, Except Amazon.com

With holiday sales reports showing record lows since the 1970’s and double digit declines in the sale of luxury goods (-34%), electronics (-26%), clothing (-21%), and the worst-ever drop in online sales (at -2.3%), the many issues related to sales tax are at the fore as we look ahead to 2009, especially as states face [...]