Amazon Ballot Measure

Small Business California has been a strong supporter of requiring Amazon to collect sales tax. We feel that our brick and mortar stores deserve to be on a level playing field with out of state Internet companies. It is a simple fairness issue.

Amazon is in the process of circulating a petition to put this on the ballot. See below the wording of this. It will take about 505,000 signatures to put this on the ballot June 2012.

I don’t know if we can prevent this from getting on the ballot as Amazon has a lot of money to pay for signatures. I do think however we should be talking to our employees, customers and friends about this asking them not to sign.

Even if we fail we will have laid the groundwork to defeat the measure when it comes up on the ballot. What do you think?

Scott Hauge
President
Small Business California
2311 Taraval Street
San Francisco, CA 94116
shauge@smallbusinesscalifornia.org
415-680-2188



The Attorney General of California has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure:


REFERENDUM TO OVERTURN LAW REQUIRING INTERNET RETAILERS TO COLLECT SAME SALES OR USE TAXES AS OTHER RETAILERS.

If signed by the required number of registered voters and filed with the Secretary of State, this petition will place on the statewide ballot a challenge to an existing state law. The law must be approved by voters at the next statewide election to remain in effect. The law expands the definition of retailers
considered “engaged in business” in California to include certain Internet retailers selling toCalifornia consumers, so that out-of-state Internet retailers also collect existing sales or use taxes. (11-0019)