Just wait 'till the US Post Office starts collecting postage for Emails...including retroactively.

Just out of curiosity, is this site in the cross hairs of the state and federal tax men. Just read Ken Rockwells new post about how he may be forced to close his site due to Californias tax codes. Looks like the goverment is going to tax every imagineable way to raise its revenue.

I just read the Rockwell post, and it just proves to me how immature and uninformed he is. In NY State, this has been being enforced for awhile, and I know of no site or blog that has shut down willingly due to sales tax enforcement. People will balk at the tax, yes. In the beginning they may try and find a way to beat it. But it is today's fiscal reality. Ken indirectly alludes that everyone will quit buying cameras which is kind of silly.

I commented on this briefly in Lisa'a post about Florida State Sales Tax - Here it is...

Ken can oppose things all he wants.      I did some reading on the Amazon suit here in NY. Here is an interesting note from Accountingweb. com from Jan 14, 2009

A New York state judge has dismissed Amazon.com's lawsuit alleging the online retail giant had no requirement to pay sales tax in the state due to a lack of physical presence.

Last July, Amazon.com Inc. filed a complaint with the Supreme Court of the State of New York saying it is unconstitutional to require e-tailers based outside of New York to collect the state's sales and uses taxes.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Eileen Bransten said that New York law requires companies to collect state and local sales taxes if the company generates $10,000 or more in revenue as a result of commissions paid to persons in New York for sales referrals, The Wall Street Journal reported. Justice Bransten wrote that, "There is no basis upon which Amazon can prevail."

Although Amazon has no physical presence in New York, the company, through its "Associates Program," pays unaffiliated Web site operators across the country a commission if they advertise Amazon on their sites. Those ads often allow consumers to click through from the advertiser's Web site to Amazon.com. Under a New York law enacted last April, that amounts to solicitation of business in the state, Reuters reports.

Amazon had argued in its lawsuit that the New York law unfairly targets Amazon, is overly broad and vague, and violates the commerce clause of the constitution because it imposes tax-collection obligations on out-of-state entities.

Amazon has been complying with the New York law and collecting sales tax on shipments to New York, but had hoped to prevail in its lawsuit. The company has the right to appeal the New York Supreme Court's decision.
 
The Affiliate Program, in which Ken is a likely participant, is in part how the courts justified the collection of tax. I don't know if Amazon has any appeal underway. Poor Ken. I feel so sorry for him.   

Note to Pixart - You many want to ask other business people what they are currently doing about shipments to NY. If (and when) this passes in California, they are likely to have similar tax code.

Quote from: stormchaser on June 22, 2009, 14:23

Poor Ken. I feel so sorry for him.   

What's so funny about the possibility of Ken loosing income?

I say well done to Ken, if he's making a living from his reputation, good or bad, and such a basic website, he's been doing very well.

Hate to bring up more bad news but in what direction will your taxes go once our US  multi-trillion dollar deficit demands to be fed? Hang onto your hats.