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Amazon takes root in Canada

Thu, 06 May 2010 10:47:49 -0400 | Canadian Business Online

Amazon's new Canadian warehouse is a threat to more than just the book business.


Amazon CEO Bezos says colour screen 'still a long way out' for Kindle ereader

Tue, 25 May 2010 15:13:00 -0400 | CANOE Money

SEATTLE - A colour version of Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle ereader may come eventually, but it won't be soon.


Amazon cuts Kindle price to $189 after Nook move

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:01:29 MDT | deseretnews.com

A price war is heating up in the electronic reader market, as Amazon cut the price of its Kindle e-reader below $200 Monday...


ACLU Joins Fight against the North Carolina "Amazon Tax" Disclosure Demands

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT | Tax Foundation's Tax Policy Blog

In 2009, North Carolina passed an "Amazon" tax law requiring some online retailers to collect sales and use taxes on online purchases. To jump start compliance, the state revenue department has issued an audit to online retailer Amazon.com, allegedly demanding the names and addresses of all North Carolina residents who have bought from Amazon since 2003. The revenue department hoped to collect sales tax on all these purchases.

Amazon filed a lawsuit in federal court in Seattle (its company headquarters) to block the audit. The company's lawsuit states that the North Carolina revenue department's attempt to collect personal information about Amazon consumers and their purchases is a gross violation of consumer privacy, implicating the First Amendment and privacy laws.

Now, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has joined the legal battle, filing on behalf of six North Carolina residents and Asheville Councilman Cecil Bothwell. ACLU claims that North Carolina can make its sales tax assessments without intimate knowledge of customers' purchases. According to the ACLU, disclosing personal records for "thousands of Amazon customers would violate their constitutional rights to read and purchase the lawful materials of their choice, free from government intrusion."

As Amazon also noted, the revenue department's request is particularly intrusive where customers have purchased personal or controversial items. Such purchases by North Carolina residents include:

The ongoing dispute in North Carolina is only one example of the nationwide struggle between online retailers and revenue-seeking states seeking to extend enforcement of sales taxes to out-of-state retailers not present in the jurisdiction. Amazon terminated its affiliate programs in Colorado when the state considered adopting a burdensome use tax compliance law.  In New York, Amazon is fighting a tax law that requires sales tax collection on purchases shipped to the state, even as neither Amazon operations nor employees are present in the state. (The Tax Foundation has submitted a friend-of-the court ("amicus curiae") brief on Amazon's behalf in that case, currently before the state's Appellate Division.)

Online sales taxes represent a constitutionally dubious effort by states to create revenue windfalls.  These taxes create a tremendous compliance burden on out-of-state businesses, implicate serious consumer privacy issues, signal hostility to businesses engaged in interstate commerce, and undermine states' efforts to create uniform sales tax standards. 

More on Amazon tax and state nexus issues here.


Earnings Preview: Amazon to report 2Q results

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:47:53 +0000 | Newsvine

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. is scheduled to report its second-quarter results after the market closes on Thursday.


Amazon's Q2 Profits Up, But Stock Takes a Hit

| internetnews.com

Wall Street expected better results, but Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos touted sales from a growing number of mobile devices including tablets and smartphones.


Ahead of the Bell-Amazon shares drop

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:12:20 +0000 | Newsvine

Shares of Amazon.com Inc. took a hit in premarket trading Friday after the online retailer posted second-quarter earnings laden with heavy operating costs that surprised investors.


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