Amazon Still Exempt From Sales Tax in 2016
In 16 states, Amazon is still exempt from sales tax, a competitive advantage that an Ohio State study finds boosts its sales by nearly 10%.
Amazon Establishes Overseas Tax Haven
Amazon opens an office in the tiny tax haven of Luxembourg and, over the next dozen years, skirts paying at least $1.5 billion in U.S. taxes, according to a claim by the IRS that covers just 2 of these years.
Tax Change Deters Rural Co-ops From Expanding Internet Access
For many rural Americans, the local electric or telephone cooperative is their best hope for finally obtaining modern-day connectivity. With the support of government funding, rural cooperatives have brought electricity, telephone service, and more recently broadband access to some of the most rugged and sparsely populated places in the country.… Read More
In a Win for Independent Businesses, U.S. Supreme Court Rules for Sales Tax Fairness
On Thursday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door for states to require out-of-state and online retailers to collect state sales taxes. It’s an important day for independent businesses: After years of being forced to compete at a significant price disadvantage, locally owned businesses finally have a shot at a more level playing field when it comes to sales tax.… Read More
Picks: Single Payer, Meet Single Price; Court Decision Huge Victory for Gig Workers; British Columbia’s Progressive Taxes; and more (5th Edition)
Berkeley, California wins a court battle to protect their historic Post Office buildings; protections for gig economy workers are passed by the California Supreme Court; a new report elucidates the ways that charter schools are sucking the resources dry from public schools; and finally, Robert Reich’s video on the monopolization of everything in our economy.… Read More
Internet Sales Tax Fairness
Even as online sales have grown into a multi-trillion-dollar force in the U.S. economy, states have been limited in their authority to require e-commerce companies to collect state and local sales taxes. As a result, cities, states, and local businesses, along with the citizens and customers who rely on them, have all been hit with negative impacts: The policy has placed local businesses at an unfair disadvantage, and has undermined state and local tax revenues. Now, the fight to require online retailers to collect sales taxes just as brick-and-mortar retailers do is intensifying. It’s currently being waged on three fronts: At the U.S. Supreme Court, at the state level, and in Congress.… Read More
Internet Sales Tax Fairness — Notification — Colorado
In February 2010, Colorado passed a law that requires remote retailers that do not collect state sales taxes to: a) notify Colorado customers that they owe the tax on their purchases, b) send an annual report to customers detailing all of their purchases in the preceding year and the amount of sales tax owed, and c) also provide this information annually to the Colorado Department of Revenue. The law applies to retailers with more than $100,000 in annual sales, including Amazon.com and Overstock.com. A federal appeals court upheld Colorado’s law in February 2016.… Read More
Internet Sales Tax Fairness — Marketplace Nexus — Minnesota
In May 2017, as part of a general revenue law, Minnesota passed a first-in-the-nation law that requires platform, or “marketplace,” retailers to collect sales tax on sales made on the platform by third-party sellers. The requirement will take effect the sooner of July 1, 2019, or when the U.S. Supreme Court modifies its ruling in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota.… Read More
In Long-Awaited Case This Spring, U.S. Supreme Court Has Opportunity to Correct the Law on Sales Tax
This month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case on sales tax collection that could — long after online commerce has transformed the retail sector in the United States — finally give states the authority to require online retailers to collect sales tax. For both local governments and local retailers, it’s a case that’s long overdue.… Read More