Sales tax needed across the nation
Shane Newell’s column on Amazon.com misses the point.
Sure, it’s good and all that Amazon.com is finally capitulating to pressure, but what about all those other out-of-state retailers who are still exempt?
B&H, JR and Abe’s of Maine are just a few examples of the retailers that will still not charge me any sales tax on what I buy after Sept. 15.
The only ultimate solution is for a comprehensive tax law across the nation, which Amazon itself has suggested.
I also want to point out that four states do not charge any sales tax at all (so not everyone in the U.S pays sales tax), and as for 8.75% “wasn’t that high,”
California’s base rate of 7.25% is the second-highest in the nation, behind Arizona’s 7.3%. A total of 14 other states have a max tax rate higher than 8.75% with local surcharges added in.
Michael Chan Yee is an alumnus of the Cal State Long Beach journalism department.