More on (moron?) the "Amazon" tax

[AZRedhawk44]

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/amazon-306409-affiliate-california.html

California just put 25,000 small businesses... out of business.

I wonder if the impetus for all these States to do this, is to drive Amazon to bounce from State to State until it can only have a presence in the non-sales-tax States?  It seems to always result in the State that passes the law, losing jobs and tax revenue.

[Ben]

As predicted. And as the article states, it only hurts CA small businesses. The business owner in the article who blasted Amazon is directing his anger at the wrong party. Amazon is absolutely correct and standing up for its rights. As I mentioned in the other thread, Amazon will simply realign with other resellers. There may be a blip in availability of stuff because there are so many resellers in CA, but they'll soon have a well realigned model.

If the CA resellers whose majority of income was Amazon related were smart, they'd move to any of our neighboring states where they can buy a cheaper house, have cheaper rent for their business, and would likely end up making a much better profit.

I'm certainly not going to stop buying from Amazon, They are way too convenient, provide an excellent experience from product research through purchase, and have way too good of deals. I won't be visiting any CA big boxes stores any more than I already do. As for the smaller guy, if I'm in Southern CA and they're in Northern CA, I wouldn't visit them anyway. Unless they are a niche seller, they are likely too small to show up anywhere near the top of a search engine, so I also likely wouldn't mailorder from them.

[longeyes]

Conceded. Proves the high honchos here are even stupider than I thought.

[Balog]

I don't get it...


Did they believe that Amazon wouldn't actually cut off CA resellers? Because otherwise they had to know this could only result in a net loss of tax revenue as the thousands of jobs lost stop paying taxes and start collecting unemployment. 

[makattak]

I don't get it...


Did they believe that Amazon wouldn't actually cut off CA resellers? Because otherwise they had to know this could only result in a net loss of tax revenue as the thousands of jobs lost stop paying taxes and start collecting unemployment. 

I think they voted on principal. It's the government's money and they're going to get it and force Amazon to get it for them.

And if they can't get it, no one will.

[bedlamite]

If the CA resellers whose majority of income was Amazon related were smart, they'd move to any of our neighboring states where they can buy a cheaper house, have cheaper rent for their business, complain that the laws aren't like California's then try to change them, and would likely end up making a much better profit before ruining the state they moved to.

FTFY.

[dogmush]

Board of Equalization?

Really? 

Not satire?

[Nick1911]

Board of Equalization?

Really? 

Not satire?

Yea:

http://www.boe.ca.gov/

[Ben]

FTFY.

Yeah dude, that one actually gets a little tiresome to me. I, and barring my coworkers, most of the people I associate with, are very conservative or libertarian. As are the majority of Californians in the inland portion of the state. Certainly more conservative than your average citizen of Portland, Seattle, or Las Vegas.

I don't deny that people from places like San Francisco don't get tired of their dumbass laws and move, rinse, and repeat, but we're not all like that.

[RoadKingLarry]

Seems like the left is always suprised when their business stifleing taxes and regulations actually stifle business.

[makattak]

Seems like the left is always suprised when their business stifleing taxes and regulations actually stifle business.

They think business is like a natural resource, err scratch that, they believe natural resources should be protected.

They think business is a constant. They honestly think that the businessmen HAVE to do what they are doing, and, if they stopped, someone else would do it. They don't think entreprenuers are special. The left has a deterministic view of history where people are unimportant. If Samuel Morse didn't exist someone else would have created Morse Code. If Eli Whitney didn't exist, someone else would have created the cotton gin. Etc...

[Nick1911]

They think business is like a natural resource, err scratch that, they believe natural resources should be protected.

They think business is a constant. They honestly think that the businessmen HAVE to do what they are doing, and, if they stopped, someone else would do it. They don't think entreprenuers are special. The left has a deterministic view of history where people are unimportant. If Samuel Morse didn't exist someone else would have created Morse Code. If Eli Whitney didn't exist, someone else would have created the cotton gin. Etc...

This!  Well said.

[Balog]

Yeah dude, that one actually gets a little tiresome to me. I, and barring my coworkers, most of the people I associate with, are very conservative or libertarian. As are the majority of Californians in the inland portion of the state. Certainly more conservative than your average citizen of Portland, Seattle, or Las Vegas.

I don't deny that people from places like San Francisco don't get tired of their dumbass laws and move, rinse, and repeat, but we're not all like that.

Not to defend it one way or another, but I have noticed a lot of people from California moving to rural/conservative areas and trying to make it less free.

[Gowen]

Not to defend it one way or another, but I have noticed a lot of people from California moving to rural/conservative areas and trying to make it less free.

---->NEVADA<-----  Uh, yeah, tell me about it.  Nevada, with the exception of Las Vegas was a red state.

[longeyes]

Yeah dude, that one actually gets a little tiresome to me. I, and barring my coworkers, most of the people I associate with, are very conservative or libertarian. As are the majority of Californians in the inland portion of the state. Certainly more conservative than your average citizen of Portland, Seattle, or Las Vegas.

I don't deny that people from places like San Francisco don't get tired of their dumbass laws and move, rinse, and repeat, but we're not all like that.

There are a lot of right-leaning people in CA, but we're not the majority and have been effectively shut out of power.  Don't judge all of us by the public sector unions and our northerly mobile latinos. 

[Waitone]

I think what is surprising people is Amazon is a company having certain defined business practices and will stick to those practices even it it means enduring bad publicity.  The company just faced down South Carolina when it wanted to crawdad on an agreement.  The legislature/governor approved a package but curiously very little of the details is known by the public.

[RevDisk]

I think what is surprising people is Amazon is a company having certain defined business practices and will stick to those practices even it it means enduring bad publicity.  The company just faced down South Carolina when it wanted to crawdad on an agreement.  The legislature/governor approved a package but curiously very little of the details is known by the public.

Not much choice if they want to survive.

[Tallpine]

Not to defend it one way or another, but I have noticed a lot of people from California moving to rural/conservative areas and trying to make it less free.

The problem is that a California right-wing extremist would be pretty left-wing socialist in someplace like Wyoming or Montana.   

I moved up here from Colorado about 15 year ago and it took me about five years before I stopped looking over my shoulder, doing things that are legal here but verbotten Where the Columbines Grow.

[Ben]

The problem is that a California right-wing extremist would be pretty left-wing socialist in someplace like Wyoming or Montana.   

I moved up here from Colorado about 15 year ago and it took me about five years before I stopped looking over my shoulder, doing things that are legal here but verbotten Where the Columbines Grow.

Go get a haircut ya hippie.

PS -- Say "hi" to Ted Turner for me.  

[Tallpine]

Say "hi" to Ted Turner for me.  

I don't think Ted lowers himself to visit the flat side of the state. 

[bedlamite]

Not to defend it one way or another, but I have noticed a lot of people from California moving to rural/conservative areas and trying to make it less free.

It's called Californication. When enough California people move to a new place and *expletive deleted* that up too.

[Ben]

It's called Californication. When enough California people move to a new place and *expletive deleted* that up too.

Actually it's called, "the chickens coming home to roost". It's the progeny of all those people from other states that came to Berkeley in the 60's to screw up California.

[AZRedhawk44]

Actually it's called, "the chickens coming home to roost". It's the progeny of all those people from other states that came to Berkeley in the 60's to screw up California.

Those Berkeley idgits weren't registered voters in CA when CA was screwing itself up.

Nor did they vastly outnumber the voting residents.

[makattak]

Actually it's called, "the chickens coming home to roost". It's the progeny of all those people from other states that came to Berkeley in the 60's to screw up California.

He's probably got a point here. Most likely the idiots who moved in, not the long-time natives that caused California's problems....






So how long has your family been in California, Ben? 

[Perd Hapley]

They think business is like a natural resource, err scratch that, they believe natural resources should be protected.

They think business is a constant. They honestly think that the businessmen HAVE to do what they are doing, and, if they stopped, someone else would do it. They don't think entreprenuers are special. The left has a deterministic view of history where people are unimportant. If Samuel Morse didn't exist someone else would have created Morse Code. If Eli Whitney didn't exist, someone else would have created the cotton gin. Etc...

I think it's another occasion to point out that the Left wants prosperity without any prosperous people. They hate big business, but get upset when they down-size, or in this case, move away.