Didn’t Harold Washington have nice things to say about Quinn? /s
Gotta love it.
/johnny
Another unconstitutional money grab. Illinois is trying to redefine what constitutes a “nexus” to force Amazon to remit sales tax to them even though it has NO physical presence in the state.
They claim that since Illinois residents take advantage of Amazon advertising on their web pages or blogs that it meets their redefined “nexus”.
It simply requires Amazon to collect sales tax on Illinois resident's purchases -- a feature Amazon already has implemented, and uses whenever one of it's partner businesses like Target.com sell to illinois residents.
Amazon is simply afraid that, if it has to collect sales tax, it will lose business to local companies who it is now beating because it can undercut their prices by not collecting the sales tax.
Note that in Illinois, people who buy from Amazon, because Amazon doesn't collect the sales tax, are required by state law to keep track of those purchases, and file and pay their sales tax themselves.
SO the only way people of Illinois would do worse if the bill passes, is if they are tax cheats.
Here is the law in Illinois: Illinois Sale and Use Tax:
If the seller (typically an out-of-state business, such as a catalog company or a retailer making sales on the Internet) does not charge Illinois Sales Tax, the purchaser must pay the tax directly to the department.
This is not the 1990s. Amazon already collects sales taxes for all sales in some states, and for all states where they are fulfilling sales from businesses that have local presence. It costs them nothing to collect and reimburse sales tax to the state. It helps the law-abiding citizens of Illinois, and only inconveniences the law-breakers.
But Amazon wants to stir up people against these laws, because they can make more money by getting what is a defacto taxpayer-funded subsidy to undercut the prices of goods sold at Illinois stores that employ illinois residents and serve in their communities.
I currently have six sites promoting Amazon products. I will absolutely pack my things and move to Wisconsin!!!
Suspend taking orders from IL addresses. THAT will get people’s attention.