Quote:
Originally Posted by Kali Yuga
Amazon isn't breaking the rules.
Quill v North Dakota established that if you're selling via mail over state lines, you only need to collect sales tax if you have an office in that state. States are gasping for revenues, and are now interpreting that ruling as broadly as possible in order to collect more tax revenues. This tactic may strike you as a company shirking its responsibilities, or as staying competitive, or acting spoiled. Either way, it is within the rules for Amazon to close its distribution center in Texas and, on that basis, avoid any requirements to collect taxes from its TX customers.
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We're saying the same things: Amazon had a state presence and said "If you're going to make us collect taxes because of that presence, we'll leave."
That's fine, and well within their rights.
What Texans DIDN'T like was Amazon pausing on the threshold, glancing back over their shoulder, and saying, WON'T THAT BE A SHAME FOR THE FOLKS WE'LL HAVE TO LAYOFF in a coquettish tone.
Leave or don't leave over the rules, but don't hold your employees hostage in the hopes of guilt-tripping the state into making a special exception to the rules. A special exemption that will save Amazon LOADS of sales, but won't do ANYTHING for Texas other than cover a few hundred jobs. I'm telling you: it didn't go down well at all locally.
