Online shopping and State Tax, Should be mutually exclusive? (Amazon.com , to be specific)

I am concerned with a report in Massachusetts media that Amazon.com is entertaining the support of charging state tax in areas where it has no physical presence. I have always thought that state tax and Internet shopping venues should never meet , especially when a company that sells on the Internet has no physical presence in the states that they take orders from.

Especially in today's financial doldrums, I cannot imagine a more undesirable environment to begin supporting this cooperation with states, especially taxichusetts, where we are pummeled with taxes that approach charging us to breath New England air. Say it ain't so, Amazon, I, for one, believe that with the taxes that are about to fall upon us, making a decision like this, and violating the trust from those that made you huge (us, the people), will not look good on your bottom line, because there are so many other venues on the Internet that would never entertain such an arrangement. Am I off the mark?

Wow, I guess this did not hit any nerves, so it must be ok with any who read it. If it does happen, at least Amazon has one less customer. Perhaps after it occurs, there could be a post to this thread other than my own. Peace.

Originally posted by charlyv

I have always thought that state tax and Internet shopping venues should never meet , especially when a company that sells on the Internet has no physical presence in the states that they take orders from.

If there is a dollar to take the government will eventually take it. There really isnt anything anyone can do about it.

I am concerned with a report in Massachusetts media that Amazon.com is entertaining the support of charging state tax in areas where it has no physical presence. I have always thought that state tax and Internet shopping venues should never meet , especially when a company that sells on the Internet has no physical presence in the states that they take orders from.

The taxes aren't about the physical location of the seller. It's about where the purchaser lives.

That said, Amazon.com hijacked a purchase I made from Amazon.ca (Canadian site) and it took 2 months to get back the $216 that the US site stole off our credit card.

They are not as secure as they lead you to believe.
If you're online shopping, review your credit card site every day after for the following week.