Re:Chicago 'cloud tax' to add cost to Netflix, other streami...
by tsotha on Thursday July 02, 2015 @12:34AM
(#9816866)
Amazon "yielded" to that pressure because they intend to have same-day delivery in every state. There's no way to do that without a presence in every state. So Amazon was going to be paying sales taxes anyway.
Since they've decided to pursue a business strategy that has them paying sales taxes, they're pushing for an agreement that has competitors paying taxes even without a presence in that particular state.
Note "collect sales tax." In at least some states, e.g. Massachusetts, residents and (I assume) businesses are asked on their state tax returns to report out-of-state purchases consumed within the state on which they are then responsible for use taxes equivalent to sales taxes.