Friday, August 26, 2011

Lawmakers Look To Undermine Amazon Effort

In the aftermath of the June move by California to tax Amazon.com and other out-of-state, online retailers, legislators are apparently looking to implement an "urgency bill" which would nullify Amazon.com's efforts to organize a referendum on the issue. According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, lawmakers are in the midst of a bill which would effectively prevent a referendum on the sales tax. Amazon.com has been in the midst of organizing a California referendum to overturn the sales tax law, passed in June, which attempts to collect sales taxes on purchases to California residents. That effort--only the latest in a string of battles facing Amazon.com with sates--attempted to make Amazon.com and other online retailers with affiliates in California responsible for collecting sales taxes for the state. Amazon.com has been adamant about not collecting taxes in California and other states with those laws, going so far as to cancel its relationships with affiliates in those states.