Amazon tax petition nears 100,000 signatures

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Nearly 100,000 people have signed a petition launched by an independent bookseller calling on Amazon "to pay their fair share of tax in the UK" and warning the online retail giant that "the unfair advantage that your tax dodge gives you is endangering many UK high street businesses".

Booksellers Frances and Keith Smith, who count the MP Margaret Hodge and the author Charlie Higson among their supporters, are now planning to deliver their appeal to 10 Downing Street, accompanied by a large crowd of authors and other allies.

Hodge, chair of the public accounts committee, was one of the MPs to lay into Amazon over its tax affairs last year, when the online bookseller – alongside Starbucks and Google – was accused of diverting hundreds of millions of pounds in profits to tax havens.

"We never expected this, [but] when we've reached 100,000 we will present the petition to Number 10," said Frances Smith. "We've got to keep the pressure up so the government realises this is an issue close to people's hearts. We have to keep banging on about it so the government knows it is important to people, and that there are votes in it."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/mar/22/amazon-tax-petition-signatures

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Thom Hartmann on 3/12 discussed Internet sales taxes on his show, first with a debate with Reason magazine managing editor J.D. Tuccille:

A caller on the pro taxing side:

A caller against:

[quakerboy]

1. 1) amazon should pay whatever their fair share of taxes are.

2)sales taxes are stupid. the response should not be to add a sales tax to internet purchases, it should be to obliterate sales taxes at brick and mortar shops.

[catalyzte]

18. Amazon petition, I will never sign to make them pay taxes because it affects me if I do.

Agreed, for all us small businesses that sell THROUGH amazon, this is cutting of our noses to spite our faces. We'll never be able to compete if this happens. Getting RID of sales taxes is indeed a better idea. And what exactly is Amazon doing that's illegal? Hmmm

[graham4anything]

2. Retailers who sell on Amazon and Ebay, should be same taxes as physical concrete stores do

People sit at home and order in the comfort of their pjs anything they want.

They save $$$$ from going into their car to the mall to buy whatever it is.
In the mall, you gotta pay taxes.
Ditto on the internet.

It really is not fair to freeload, and there are billions lost by the states nationwide
(though the above is about the UK, it applies moreso in US).

Sales tax is only fair.

Freebees are not fair
And taxes are deductable so they can be incorporated into the scheme of pricing.
Fair is fair.

[Fumesucker]

4. Sales taxes are highly regressive

Which means they fall much more heavily on the poor than the rich.

It's no surprise at all that you think they are great.

I believe we started on this note actually.

[graham4anything]

5. Freeloading hurts the little guy more than the big guy

It is simply not fair to whine about business in retail phsyical stores being bad,
when the freeloaders on line pay zero.

That is shoplifting IMHO

And the few % sales tax is offset by the ZERO gas and use of automobile to get to the mall
to buy it.

So in the end, the consumer is freeloading on the net.
And states need their money, as the only way government has to do anything, is by
tax dollars.

There would just be anarchy and chaos and NO goods if no one purchased anything.

The world worked fine before the internet, and making sellers on amazon pay their fair share
benefits the outside world.

And in reality, most people want MORE spending by government.
I don't ever hear any democratic person say they want less spending.

How do you think one pays salaries, unless one spends?
Without a sale, there is NO job in the first place.

[Nye Bevan]

16. "Zero gas to get to the mall". Pretty damn good for the environment (nt)

[LiberalFighter]

9. You don't pay shipping costs at concrete stores

[graham4anything]

12. And you don't pay shipping on most items on Amazon and Ebay

as both strongly rate dealers and the best ratings come with free shipping

But not paying taxes is akin to shopping at Walmart.
It killed off the mom and pops.
Yet millions by choice will shop there.
(millions have no choice, so they are not to blame).

And it is payable 10 times over, as states have no money so ones snow don't get shoveled.

[davidpdx]

3. I order books from a website in the UK

It is not Amazon, but was acquired by Amazon recently. Personally I wasn't happy about that because this is a really good company that has excellent service and they ship things worldwide free of charge (for instance I am in South Korea). I have no idea how much the sales tax is and whether that would change things. My guess is it would. I'm won't be happy if I have to pay sales tax in the UK for a product I'm having shipped to South Korea. I already pay a 10% VAT tax on everything here (granted the income tax is 3.3%), and then hefty taxes on my car each year ($400).

Shipping through Amazon is an arm and a leg (literally) to get stuff sent here. Buying books here would be even more expensive. If this whole thing goes the way of the dodo bird I am so fucking screwed. Thankfully I have bought all my required books for my doctoral classes and will likely only need a few more for my dissertation.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Hard copy books

in the UK are not subject to vat / sales tax regardless of who the seller is.

The issue in the OP refers to corporation tax as opposed to vat whatever.

[davidpdx]

7. I see

So as long as I'm having a book shipped to me physically then it's not subject to the VAT? Thanks!

[dipsydoodle]

8. They are are not subject to vat , here , period.

There are however issues with Amazon on e books which are a different subject.

Here also , whereas we can be charged vat on imports of most stuff at 20% , if we import a book there is still no vat or duty because they are vat free here.

Given that my copy of this cost me $1400 from NY I wouldn't have bought it if there had been additional charges :

1001 BANJOS by Akira Tsumura.

[davidpdx]

11. $1400?

I hope you keep that in a safe. lol

[dipsydoodle]

14. Akira Tsumura

put together the finest collections of banjos which will ever exist - now in a museum property of the Japanese government.

Those books were a limited edition published privately at a cost of c. $2500 each. The artwork and print quality are almost flawless. Yes - mine is kept not only in its cover box but also in the carton it was mailed in.

[Blandocyte]

13. I read the Readers Digest version of that book!

It had only 453 banjos in that version, but it was great.

[mac56]

17. The Cliff's Notes version

only had about 225.

[onehandle]

10. Amazon is the Walmart of online sales. Google is attempting to set up the same system.

Both must be stopped.

[Nye Bevan]

15. If what Amazon is doing is illegal, prosecute them.

If it is legal, then the law needs to be changed.

But I don't see why any company would voluntarily pay more tax than legally required, in response to a petition.

[dixiegrrrrl]

19. Every penny Amazon would collect in sales tax it can keep

for weeks or months until it has to send the tax to states.
It would reap millions in "free" loans, so to speak.
Which is why Amazon does not object at all to an internet sales tax.