- Joined
- Dec 3, 2006
- Messages
- 14,985
- Reaction score
- 1,302
Amazon: NC Request For Buyer's Names Violates Free Speech
North Carolina Tax Collectors Demanded Information, Lawsuit Says
POSTED: 1:54 pm EDT April 20, 2010
[EMAIL: Amazon: NC Request For Buyer's Names Violates Free Speech] Email [PRINT: Amazon: NC Request For Buyer's Names Violates Free Speech] Print
[COMMENTS: Amazon: NC Request For Buyer's Names Violates Free Speech] Comments
(10)
Bookmark and Share
Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. said it's taking a stand for free speech by fighting an effort by North Carolina tax authorities to identify buyers.
The company said in a federal lawsuit filed in Seattle that North Carolina tax collectors have demanded information identifying the buyers of nearly 50 million books, movies, CDs and other items since 2003.
A spokeswoman for the state Revenue Department had no immediate comment Tuesday. Revenue Secretary Kenneth Lay was named in the lawsuit but was not immediately available for comment.
North Carolina requires residents to pay taxes on online items if they would pay sales tax in a store.
Amazon said revealing buyers' names would harm customers who may have bought controversial books or movies and would diminish future sales
---------------------------
This is not good. Amazon recently halted affiliate participation to residents of North Carolina. The State of NC (and a few other states) wanted Amazon to classify NC affiliates as employees and withhold NC State income tax from payment. Instead, Amazon refused to do this bookkeeping task and simply released all NC affiliates.
Now this - in order that sales tax be collected and filed for online purchases from the consumer, the State of NC is now demanding that Amazon turn over a list of all buyers residing in NC. The reason is so the state can collect state sales tax for the purchase from every NC buyer.
This can only mean that the State would be preparing to audit nearly every NC resident to ensure that they did pay their fair share of state tax and would send out tax bills.
This is absurd and has to be one of the most wasteful uses of time, money, manpower, and resources. I can not imagine for an instant that any monies recouped would come close to equating the money spent on trying to find new revenue streams for the State coffers.
The worst part is we know it won't stop simply with the State of NC. New York is battling a proposed "iPod Tax" that would require state taxes to be levied on all downloaded music, apps, software, and such from the internet.
I guess it is time I contact my state legislators.
North Carolina Tax Collectors Demanded Information, Lawsuit Says
POSTED: 1:54 pm EDT April 20, 2010
[EMAIL: Amazon: NC Request For Buyer's Names Violates Free Speech] Email [PRINT: Amazon: NC Request For Buyer's Names Violates Free Speech] Print
[COMMENTS: Amazon: NC Request For Buyer's Names Violates Free Speech] Comments
(10)
Bookmark and Share
Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. said it's taking a stand for free speech by fighting an effort by North Carolina tax authorities to identify buyers.
The company said in a federal lawsuit filed in Seattle that North Carolina tax collectors have demanded information identifying the buyers of nearly 50 million books, movies, CDs and other items since 2003.
A spokeswoman for the state Revenue Department had no immediate comment Tuesday. Revenue Secretary Kenneth Lay was named in the lawsuit but was not immediately available for comment.
North Carolina requires residents to pay taxes on online items if they would pay sales tax in a store.
Amazon said revealing buyers' names would harm customers who may have bought controversial books or movies and would diminish future sales
---------------------------
This is not good. Amazon recently halted affiliate participation to residents of North Carolina. The State of NC (and a few other states) wanted Amazon to classify NC affiliates as employees and withhold NC State income tax from payment. Instead, Amazon refused to do this bookkeeping task and simply released all NC affiliates.
Now this - in order that sales tax be collected and filed for online purchases from the consumer, the State of NC is now demanding that Amazon turn over a list of all buyers residing in NC. The reason is so the state can collect state sales tax for the purchase from every NC buyer.
This can only mean that the State would be preparing to audit nearly every NC resident to ensure that they did pay their fair share of state tax and would send out tax bills.
This is absurd and has to be one of the most wasteful uses of time, money, manpower, and resources. I can not imagine for an instant that any monies recouped would come close to equating the money spent on trying to find new revenue streams for the State coffers.
The worst part is we know it won't stop simply with the State of NC. New York is battling a proposed "iPod Tax" that would require state taxes to be levied on all downloaded music, apps, software, and such from the internet.
I guess it is time I contact my state legislators.