Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Sales Taxes

blog  

ITEP Resources on Amazon and the Online Sales Tax Debate

• By Carl Davis

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to consider a case next week (South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc.) that has the potential to significantly improve states and localities’ ability to enforce their sales tax laws on Internet purchases.

blog  

What to Expect if the Supreme Court Allows for Online Sales Tax Collection

• By Carl Davis

Online shopping is hardly a new phenomenon. And yet states and localities still lack the authority to require many Internet retailers to collect the sales taxes that their locally based, brick and mortar competitors have been collecting for decades.

blog  

Amazon’s Local, State and Federal Tax Issues Explained

• By ITEP Staff

President Trump’s latest Twitter target, the Amazon Corporation, is now under the microscope for its state and local tax avoidance. In a Thursday tweet, the President claimed that “[u]nlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state & local governments.” Such a statement is a startling reversal for a president who previously said his own ability to avoid paying income taxes “makes me smart.”

news release  

Amazon Maintains Sales Tax Advantage over Local Businesses

• By ITEP Staff

This report concludes that lack of consistent sales tax collection is contributing to an unlevel playing field for local businesses “because millions of shoppers are able to pay less tax if they choose to buy from out-of-state companies over the Internet rather than at local stores.” It recommends that states explore reforms to bring their sales tax policies into the digital age.