In the News: Stacy Mitchell
August 23rd, 2017
Media Outlet: The Epoch Times
Stacy Mitchell’s expertise on the growing monopoly power of Amazon in our economy was cited by Emel Akan’s article in The Epoch Times arguing that, while President Trump’s anger at Amazon may be inflammatory, he isn’t all wrong in the ways that the company is disadvantaging small businesses and retail across America.
“If sales tax matters this much at this stage of Amazon’s development … one can only imagine how much this government-granted competitive advantage propelled Amazon’s growth back when it was merely a book retailer,” stated a report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a nonprofit research organization.
As recently as 2011, Amazon was collecting sales tax in only five states, said Davis.
However, starting that year, Amazon made a significant change in its strategy. The company shifted its focus to ambitiously providing rapid delivery to its customers, requiring it to start building facilities across the country. By the end of 2016, Amazon was collecting sales tax in 29 states, and now it is collecting sales tax in every state.
