Amazon uses no local services other than maybe the road for UPS to deliver your purchase on while the local retailer uses many. A more sensible rule for purchasing items through the mail would be to charge tax based on the sales location rather than the purchase location. That way Amazon only has to worry about one tax rate rather than tens of thousands of little towns' rates. Also, states will be fighting (with tax incentives) to get business to move in. Imagine a state saying we will waive the sales tax on Amazon if they move here.
I have a real problem as to why I cannot purchase something from any other state without being charged sales taxes. Sales taxes of a state are intended as revenue for that particular state. When that particular state hires their workers out of state via contractual workers those same workers spend their money out of state and that seems o.k. but I cannot purchase out of state. This is just plain not right.
You’ve made some good points there. If there’s any justification for taxes, they should be somehow related to services used.