Internet Commerce

In a slew of recent editorials, columns, and op-eds, Amazon.com is being skewered for its attempts to avoid collecting and remitting California sales tax.

Recent moves by Amazon.com to circumvent sales tax equity legislation offer indie booksellers an opportunity to market their affiliate programs to recently fired affiliates, who are searching for alternatives.

Just weeks after California Gov. Jerry Brown signed sales tax fairness into law, Amazon.com has filed a petition with the California Attorney General’s Office seeking a voter referendum to overturn the law. In response, ABA, NCIBA, and SCIBA will be reaching out to the California Board of Equalization to urge the Board to enforce the law.

In the wake of the recent passage of California’s sales tax fairness law, booksellers expressed happiness at the hard-fought victory, noting that it creates a level playing field and will improve the state’s economy, add jobs, and help struggling businesses.

In a decision with potential ramifications for other states, Tennessee’s Office of the Attorney General recently issued an opinion stating that it was “constitutionally defensible” for a state to require a remote retailer with a distribution facility or subsidiary in the state to collect and remit sales tax to the state.

In a hard-fought and significant legislative victory, on Wednesday, June 29, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a sales tax fairness provision into law. The e-fairness win for independent bookstores and Main Street retailers follows more than a decade of advocacy efforts, which saw sustained opposition and many near-victories.

Last week, independent bookstores experienced a significant jump in e-book sales thanks to Unbridled Books’ partnership with ABA, which featured the promotion of 25 e-books for 25 cents.

On Monday, June 13, the Louisiana House of Representatives approved legislation that would require remote retailers with online affiliates in the state to collect and remit sales tax for orders made by Louisiana residents.

On Wednesday, June 1, the Performance Marketing Association, a trade association of online affiliates and large online retailers — including Amazon.com — filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Illinois’ affiliate nexus law.

While California and Louisiana moved sales tax fairness bills forward this week, Texas and South Carolina blinked in their showdowns with Amazon.com.