Small-government conservatism the Combs way.

h/t: Kevin on this story.


Amazon.com agrees to begin collecting Texas sales taxes, Scott Nishimura, Fort Worth Star Telegram

I've no beef with the tax collection settlement. I think it's wrong-headed policy, and I think it makes things less economical to purchase over the web, but this is a rising tide for taxation that our ever-expanding governments can't help but try and get their hands on. What every conservative Texas should remember during Combs next election is this:

However, Congress should pass a law.....

No, Congress shouldn't pass a law. This is a State revenue issue that should be decided at the Statehouse level. If a State wants to collect Internet taxes, then it is their right to do so. If they choose to forgo the tax in an effort to increase electronic retail in their state they should have that right as well. Combs pleading to the Federal Government to bail her out of having to take responsibility for a tax increase is NOT conservative.

Remember that the next time she comes up and wraps herself in the flag of Reagan and asks you for your vote.

On another note: This "sales tax" increase is going to be regressive, so you would think the InterLeft would be against it. (After all, they're opposed to an increase in the sales tax rate.) You'd be wrong. I found this sentiment unusual however:

Negotiations are in progress to get Amazon to pay something like its fair share

I wonder if Kuffer understands that Amazon won't be paying anything? They'll add a charge to the bill for "Texas sales tax." Amazon will be passing this charge to the customers 100%.

There's no 'payment' being made by anyone other than Texas consumers at Amazon.com. It says so in the second paragraph of the news-story from which he extensively block-quoted:

A deal would apparently end the state’s attempts to force the company to collect sales taxes.

It also appears that this deal ends the collection attempts on back taxes, with the agreement that Amazon collect in the future.  Other than being put at a slight competitive disadvantage (the argument against the sales tax was that customers have to pay for shipping. Now, on-line, customers will have to pay for both. It's a lose-lose if you shop on the Internet.) Amazon is going to pay nothing.  At least, that's how the Nishimura article makes it sound.  It's possible further details will emerge that could change that, but until then it appears that the Texas consumer is the loser once again.