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Amazon is once again threatening to cut off all its affiliates in CA if a new tax rule comes down. Instead of merely having a location in the state to collect taxes, the rule would force Amazon to collect sales tax if there was an affiliate in the state. This shouldn't be the case since Amazon has no presence in California. If Amazon cuts the affiliates in that state, I'm sure quite a few people will lose their jobs.

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"If any of these new tax collection schemes were adopted, Amazon would be compelled to end its advertising relationships with well over 10,000 California-based participants in the Amazon 'Associates Program,'" Misener wrote in the letter, dated February 24.

The letter is the latest move for Amazon in its battle with states over sales tax collection. Cash-strapped states claim online retailers that don't collect taxes are depriving states of revenue and enjoy an unfair competitive advantage over local retailers that must collect taxes. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that retailers can't be forced to collect sales tax on out-of-state shipments unless they have offices in those states.

Amazon has no physical presence in California, but some states have enacted laws that require retailers to collect sales tax if they have affiliates based in that state. Affiliates place ads for retailers on their Web sites and get paid when customers make purchases via the ads.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20038094-93.html

Seriously. Can someone explain how the country got so screwed up that we started taxing everything? This country was founed on individual NOT paying income tax and the greedy bankers and corrupt politicians made the tax act of 1919 that forced an income tax on everyone. Now we've got all these sales taxes from different states and the like. Now they want to try to tax digital downloads. This is really appalling. The government should really butt the hell out and start repealing taxes. I guess since that jerk Corzine took office in NJ, we'll never see 6% sales tax ever again. Thanks for your big help with our budgets. You really helped everyone out by raising those taxes... Have there been any states that lowered their sales tax? This country is really heading down the toilet. The government thinks it's okay that most of our paycheck goes to pay it's salaries. That's utter crap. You get taxed on income, taxed on goods you purchase... Ohh, if it is luxury goods, that gets extra taxing. Don't forget the use tax (the way the states try to recoup the lost sales tax from out of state purchases, greedy bastards). Social Security, Medicade/Medicare, An average person probably loses 50% (or more) of their wages to some form of tax. This is truly a problem that no politicians care about since they are all greedy and corrupt. We are heading into an economic crisis (not there yet) and all they want to do is raise taxes.

Remember that today marks the last day to file (what should be the illegal and unconstitutional) personal income tax statements. Before 1917, this country had NO Federal income tax for individuals. Corporations paid taxes way back then and that's how it should be. After 1917, the banks took over the country. Why do we have a federal reserve system that isn't backed by gold? Does anyone wonder why the dollar is doing so poorly against other countries? Why is the federal reserve chairman not elected but instead picked by banks?

There are many things that people don't understand about how the banks took over the money in this country. The fact that our currency is not backed by gold is really horrible.

I was reading an article for an interview with the FCC head. He states that the change to the universal services fund to include VoIP providers may costs consumers more money and that is totally fair!

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Would there be an impact on consumers' monthly bills?
Copps: Absolutely--there could be an impact. I think you're much better off, again, if you're a VoIP or wireless provider, there's a possibility now that your bills are going to go up because we haven't included the broadband. When everyone participates in the (system) it's more equitable and fair and you don't feel the pain as much. It could well be consumers are going to feel more pain, and that's something we always have to be sensitive and alive to. Consumers, too often, don't get the priority concern that they ought to get.

Here at the FCC, we don't actually listen to what we say. I may have said that I am concerned about consumers, but I am not. I only care about the companies that give me money to push their own agendas. Did I just say that out loud?

In a bow to all media cartels, the Spanish government has mandated that a tax will be placed on all blank media. This means that you pay the content cartels even for stuff that has no effect on them at all. On the other hand, does this mean that copying copyrighted work is legal because you are already paying for it? Also, how does this fee get to the copyright holder? I have serious doubts if the government will give money to Linux distros that many people use on CDs.

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Is this an example of what is to come in the United States or other parts of Europe? People have long discussed this concept, known as "compulsory licensing." Meaning that basically the government assumes people are going to be putting copyrighted material on this blank media, Other ideas in the same vein include licensing fees imposed on DSL or cable customers, again assuming they are going to be making unauthorized copies of copyrighted material.

Since when did government exist to help the corporations? I thought governments were there to serve the people... Ohh that's America? Wait, America turned into a military-industrial complex! We are screwed.