Comments on: Lack of Internet sales tax pits small retailers vs. online giants

By: Dustin

Dustin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:43:48 +0000

I am also an AZ retailer online and all the other whining local retailers make me sick. The difference is according to the law you cannot walk into Amazon and make a purchase and walk out of the store with your product. They do not have a brick and mortar store. In your store the customer can walk out with the product without waiting. Sorry I don’t believe in taxing someone who is abiding by the law to make it equal to others. Sounds like the Obama Healthcare plan. Sorry, you all need to find a new business model to compete or sell something else. I offer my local customers 10% off. Sure I don’t make as much money on those sales, but I am making the sales that if I might not have if the tax was the reason they did not purchase. In the end keep whining and when Amazon closes up shop here like they dumped their retailer in CA then you can whine because the jobless rate just went up in AZ.

By: Amazon, Nexus and Main Street Fairness | Avalara Blog

Amazon, Nexus and Main Street Fairness | Avalara Blog — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:04:32 +0000

[...] According to one business owner, “…when the governor of Arizona stands at the new Amazon warehouse, looking over the X-square feet, this is a business doing business in Arizona.” Amazon has three fulfillment centers in Arizona. “…[S]mall business advocates have argued that the company does indeed have a presence in the state and that letting it get away without collecting sales tax creates an inequity in the tax code.” Amazon currently does not collect sales tax on purchases made online by Arizona residents. Arizona residents are required to pay a use tax on those purchases. [...]

By: Ken Miller

Ken Miller — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:07:37 +0000

There seems to be some confusion, on my part at least, regarding this sales tax issue. If Amazon is not taxing it’s Az customers and shipping from it’s Az facility, that’s plain wrong. I agree with Lance, above, and I also sell both locally and on-line accross the country. When I sell my goods to an Az. resident, I charge the local sales tax, in this case Scottsdale, because this is where the transaction takes place. When I sell to an out-of- state resident, according to the court ruling above, I do not charge sales tax. I agree with John Alexander, above that local sales tax should be levied to in state purchases. If Amazon is ducking this responsibility, they need to be forced to comply with all Az merchants requirements and collect and pay the sales tax.

By: John Alexander

John Alexander — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:55:55 +0000

Lance has made the correct point of this discussion.

Any small businesss-owner such as Lance will not be able to get around the Sales Tax loophole that Amazon has.

If Amazon has a facilty in AZ then of course they should be charging Sales tax to any AZ purchaser just like the rest of AZ businesses.

Think about what the Sales Tax is suppossed to be doing!
It is paying for services the state provides to those living / working in the state!

If any company has buildings or workers based in the state they should be collecting sales tax on behalf of the State for any in-state purchase. Why would the Politicians allow tax law be manipulated to protect large companies that are obviously breaking the intent of State Tax law?

By: Google Sales News 20/07/2011

Google Sales News 20/07/2011 — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:04:51 +0000

[...] TimesOnline retailers can challenge new Calif. sales tax lawLegal News LineThe Atlantic -Arizona Capitol Times -Marketplaceall 234 news [...]

By: Lance

Lance — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:46:33 +0000

All you folks that say Amazon out competes local independent brick and mortar retailers based on selection and pricing are correct. Amazon is an amazing business and is a compelling place to shop on those grounds alone. However, that totally misses the point of the issue at hand. Why should one retail business with a physical presence in our state be exempted from having to collect sales tax while other retail businesses are required to collect sales tax? There is no justifiable reason for the exception. Requiring Amazon to adhere to the same law as other businesses with a physical presence in this state is NOT a new tax. It’s merely equal enforcement of a tax collection law. By exempting Amazon from collecting sales tax in AZ, our government is effectively subsidizing an approximately 9% discount over competing local businesses. Let Amazon compete on the same playing field with regards to sales tax collection.

I happen to own a local retail business which is both brick and mortar and online. If a customer in AZ orders an item through my website I am required to collect and remit sales tax. If that same customer orders the same item from amazon.com and it’s shipped from a distribution center in AZ they do not get charged sales tax, resulting in a 9% difference in bottom line price. How can anyone argue that that is an acceptable way to operate a business climate in our state? It’s totally absurd. I am happy to compete against Amazon and other online businesses on an equal playing field as far as taxes are concerned. We each have pros and cons that customers can decide on their own where they prefer to shop. But don’t have our government get into the business of picking winners and losers by granting illegitimate tax collection exemptions to certain businesses.

By: Hugh Campbell

Hugh Campbell — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:35:45 +0000

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) – Puppet Master of Deficit Shell Game

A recent editorial by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) in USA TODAY titled Opposing view: Just say no to higher taxes

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2011-07-04-opposing-view-debt-limit-taxes_n.htm

speaks volumes regarding the Obama administration’s misjudgment with the Fiscal Commission. Demands for the Commission arose from the 2008 book/movie I.O.U.S.A. highlighted: the Leadership, trade, savings and budget deficits; the first three being the most middle class relevant and root causes of the budget deficit, the tip of the iceberg. The ATR’s pledge signers (not permitted to negotiate in good faith) limit the focus only to spending, throwing middle class relevant deficits under the bus and allow ATR to be the Puppet Master of a deficit shell game.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:36:59 +0000

Why not partner with Amazon to some degree to take advantage of their market share? Taxation won’t level the playing field…aren’t we as recession-era consumers being taxed enough? Small retailers can fill the vacuum presently being abandoned by mega-chains like Borders. Overexpansion of those retail giants seems to be reaching an end in its life cycle. The time seems ripe to step up, no?

By: Ron Wickett

Ron Wickett — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:57:39 +0000

The problem with local retailers is they don’t have much enventory. I look but can’t find most of what I buy on-line because there is no other place to find it.
In place of sales tax you have shipping charges, many times that is more than the cost of the product you need.
Retailers, even large ones, are putting themselves out of business because of this and poor service ,long lines to check out of a store etc.

By: Spencer

Spencer — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:35:22 +0000

This article misses one key point. People in Arizona benefit greatly from being able to order online from small independent online retailers. Arizona has lots of small independent online retailers who will be hurt if they have to charge tax to out-of-state customers. If you have a business that offers no advantage to customers by having a brick-and-mortar presence, then you are probably in a dying business. Why penalize Amazon?