Posted on 08/31/2011 12:52:47 PM PDT by SmithL
SACRAMENTO -- The big showdown between traditional retailers and the online sales giant Amazon may dissolve into one big handshake.
Amazon is considering backing away from a referendum to overturn a law forcing the company to collect sales taxes if a deal can be worked out with brick-and-mortar retailers and legislative leaders, according to Capitol sources.
Amazon would get a two-year reprieve on California taxes but would pledge to support Congressional action on leveling the playing field on Internet sales taxes nationally, according to one person involved in talks between the traditional retailers and Amazon. The negotiations took place Tuesday night in the Capitol.
"We're trying to find a way to not have World War III," the source said. "There seems to be real interest in reaching an accord." . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at contracostatimes.com ...
Supporting it on a national level? I guess Amazon is going to the dark side.
What could possibly go wrong????
Bizarre, I was at a school meeting last night and a woman stood up and started to harp on about how cuts are hurting schools bla bla bla.
I went up to her after and asked what group is she with as she does not live in this county now was there any reason to give a political speech.
She said cut the corporate tax loop hole,
I started to sigh and say heard all this crap before and so she quickly said well we need internet money.
I asked how does that work and she told me that Florida needs to have an internet tax and everything we buy is taxed
I exploded and saying that is stupid so GA does not have one but we do and she replied yes
Now it seems there is a group based around the country going to all different meetings so force internet tax
What is it with these dopes that people are losing jobs and houses and yet they expect people to pay more.
FRIGGING IDIOTS
Concur. A merchant develops a business plan that includes efficient and effective service with the added tax advantage only to be penalized under the guise of “leveling the playing field.” Perhaps the inferior players need to be escorted off the field.
lemme get this straight: for 2 years, Amazon gets a reprieve BUT they have to vocally support THE tax they are fighting for in the first place..
Seriously, if Amazon falls for this trap, they deserve it. I hate liberals..eff these f*cks.
Amazon has been on the dark side.
Wikileaks proved it.
Right you are.
What are the chances that an internet sales tax could pass in a republican controlled congress? I think Amazon just gave CA an opportunity to save face over what was turning out to be a PR disaster by essentially making an empty promise to support this at the national level.
Amazon as a company is free do what it wishes. But when it starts collecting state income taxes wholesale, I no longer will use them for my purchases.....I will tell them this when I ask for my account to be deleted.
I've had a B&N membership since 2003. The 20% discount made them competitive with Amazon and Borders. Borders is going out of business. My B&N discount drops to 10% for a $25 renewal. Gee, I have to buy $250 of product to break even. No thanks.
Funny, my son develops S/W for B&N -he helped bring the online order stuff back into B&N from subbed contract work...he’s even gotten a new rollout of a B&N iP-whatever rollout for a B&N app....so I’m kinda prejudiced in that aspect...
I’ve surmised as much. It doesn’t alter my decision. I’m opposed to collecting state taxes from a state in which I don’t live. If MY state tries to collect, they’ll have to prove it was me that bought it.
I don’t condemn that BTW.....I’m undecided....on the one hand, me, basically a gun-toting country boy with an education raised a boy here in Georgia that decided in his 30s to take his degree from GT and head up to that sinful city...he loves it. He does good, but I guess 6 figures in NYC ain’t much...he brought his GF home this week for a visit, and he is happy...I guess I’ll have to accept that and live with it.
Your beef should be with the governments trying to impose the tax -- not the one, single company in the country that has been fighting against it for years. As state after state after state imposes these and Amazon has to withdraw their customer-referral system, it probably begins to have a noticeable effect on sales.
It's great fun to sit around on a discussion board and criticize them, but they're in business to sell stuff -- not fight with every government in the country.
Perhaps they know there will be no change. After two years the status quo will be maintained
Thanks SmithL.
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