[tomsem]

Amazon now collects sales tax in California, as of a few months ago. There are still plenty of online retailers who do not. Amazon will soon be creating jobs locally as they open facilities here, enabling one day shipping. This is a good thing for everyone, except for people who will lose jobs in Nevada as a result.

And in case it has escaped notice, this is not about 'tax avoidance' on the part of Amazon. These are not taxes assessed against Amazon, they are taxes that the buyer is obligated to pay. Any tax avoidance is on the part of the buyer, should they not declare this on their state income tax returns. Whether Amazon is legally obligated to collect state sales tax is as yet unsettled. Several states (like California) have arrived at legally binding arrangements with Amazon, while litigation by other states works its way through the courts. Amazon has lobbied for some federal level solution to create a level playing field nationally, though this seems unlikely to happen, given congressional dysfunction. California probably represented the largest chunk of what remains in dispute with Amazon.

And as mentioned, there are other places for Californians to shop online if they want to avoid sales tax, but they don't present as inviting a target for litigation as Amazon.