California Assembly Approves Internet Tax

ClientNine writes "California could collect more than $1 billion a year by taxing Amazon and other online retailers if a bill approved by the Assembly becomes law. Assemblyman Charles Calderon, a Democrat from Whittier, says his legislation doesn't impose a new sales tax, but extends one that California should already have been enforcing. AB155 passed, 47-16, with the support of one GOP lawmaker Tuesday. It now heads to the Senate. Other Republicans rejected the bill because they said it would invite lawsuits, drive business out of California, and get the state entangled in the messy task of regulating the Internet."

Comments

Representation

[betterunixthanunix]

The people of California voted for the representatives who approved this tax.

Re: FFS, it's not an "internet tax"!

[Adrian Lopez]

As for counting on some sort of "only the feds can do this stuff" ruling so you can continue to break the law, this gets down to how what the lawyers call a jurisdictional nexus is defined.

The US Supreme Court has already ruled on this. It all boils down to a simple fact: States cannot force companies that don't have a business presence in those states to collect and remit taxes due on sales to the residents of those states.