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Amazon, Texas talk deal: 5,000 jobs in exchange for exmption on collecting sales tax
Austin AMERICAN-STATESMAN ^ | 5:33 a.m. Tuesday, June 21, 2011 | By Barry Harrell

Posted on 06/21/2011 2:59:48 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin

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To: Crawdad

Did you feel that way about the Obamacare waivers?


21 posted on 06/21/2011 4:02:20 PM PDT by perfect_rovian_storm (It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged. -- G.K. Chesterton)
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

Ouch. Stop making such good points.


22 posted on 06/21/2011 4:08:21 PM PDT by Crawdad
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To: DeaconBenjamin

I don’t think this is much different than Indiana, Wisconsin, and other states trying to lure business away from Illinois after their tax hike with tax breaks and incentives.

In this case, Texas is trying to keep Amazon after they announced their decision to quit their distribution and warehouses in Texas in Feb. after the Comptroller handed them a $269 million bill for uncollected sales tax and tried to order them to collect sales tax.

Amazon already left Rhode Island, Hawaii, and N. Carolina in ‘09 over the same disagreement.


23 posted on 06/21/2011 4:17:27 PM PDT by Kaosinla (The More the Plans Fail. The More the Planners Plan.)
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To: Kaosinla

Sounds better than New York State they gave some tech company a bunch of money out right and got nothing... they went belly up..


24 posted on 06/21/2011 4:27:20 PM PDT by Hojczyk
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To: DeaconBenjamin

Warehouse jobs are not the way to build a 21st century economy.”

Lavine is an idiot IMO to suggest that we need companies who employ writers of books rather than movers of books. Apparently he hasn’t looked at the job qualifications of many of the people who have no jobs. Seems to me like these are exactly the kinds of jobs that could be filled quickly.


25 posted on 06/21/2011 4:47:54 PM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: Grams A
Nope. Faulty comparison. No one`s taking anything from Texas if they don`t agree to the deal. The deal simply doesn't happen.

Wrong. The threat is to tax Amazon if they do not agree to the deal.

26 posted on 06/21/2011 5:07:34 PM PDT by arista
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To: stylin19a
I'd jump on it in a minute if I could.

Should be 4½ years off of any sales generated by each 5 positions and 300k invested.

Scale it down to less then amazon size.

27 posted on 06/21/2011 5:53:03 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (The best is the enemy of the good!)
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To: Kaosinla
I find it very different.

The consumer of the finished product pays a tax.
Retailers forward that collected tax payment to the state.

If Amazon doesn't want to collect and forward state and local sales taxes for products sold in Texas, to Texas consumers, it is easily done.

Amazon can simply refrain from opening an office in Texas!

All legal!

When Texas exempts Amazon from collecting Texas retail sales taxes, Texas is violating both the spirit and the letter of all federal laws regarding interstate commerce.

BTW, in an effort at full disclosure,let it be clear that I refuse to buy any books from Amazon.

I love my local book retailers, and much prefer to pay an open sales tax, instead of an Internet dealers tax evading shipping and handling charge.

But that's just me....

28 posted on 06/21/2011 5:54:27 PM PDT by sarasmom (God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy....)
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To: DUMBGRUNT

I like the way you think.

Local areas...my town specific...created TIF areas.
It does bring in business and employment. The downside, is...when the 5 year period is up, the bigger firms pull out looking for another TIF area.


29 posted on 06/21/2011 7:50:27 PM PDT by stylin19a
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To: arista
Sounds like extortion.

Really?! Sounds to me like win-win for any company that will meet the threshold set forth here and for the Texas economy. Sounds like capitalism at work.

30 posted on 06/21/2011 8:16:42 PM PDT by Ron H. (The world may change but Gods word and commandments remain the same.)
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To: ScottinVA
.... Hardly. The derivative economic benefit of 5,000 jobs will more than offset any loss in corporate tax revenue.

You are quite correct. This is a good move by and for Texas.

31 posted on 06/21/2011 8:19:04 PM PDT by Ron H. (The world may change but Gods word and commandments remain the same.)
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To: DeaconBenjamin

Sounds good to me. 5,000 new jobs would bring a lot of revenue to the state. If other states will not create business incentives, then that is *their* problem.


32 posted on 06/22/2011 1:58:56 PM PDT by TexasRepublic (Socialism is the gospel of envy and the religion of thieves)
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To: TexasRepublic

Looks like Amazon and Texas consumers lost. I just got dinged for sales tax on two kindle purchases.


33 posted on 06/30/2011 9:54:24 PM PDT by ThirdMate
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