Backlash against Colorado lawmakers — who joined New York, Rhode Island, and North Carolina lawmakers in an attempt to tax online merchants like Amazon into “fairness” — has been fairly loud, as such things go, and my sense is that all but “progressives” (and state reps with a D in front of their names) are none too fond of the new laws, which won’t generate any more revenue for the state, but which will hurt both consumers (who will now pay higher prices) and those 5-10 thousand Amazon affiliates who suddenly find themselves without that income.
Still, with Colorado now the fourth state to enact such tax laws, I suspect we’ll soon see other states follow suit — pitching their new tax plans on the (faulty) premise that it is the job of the state legislature to tax those who have developed a better business model in order to “protect” those brick-and-mortar stores that are, generally speaking, already the beneficiaries of the increase in disposable income lower online prices afford many consumers.
Because of the fairness.
Just another example of Democrats punishing one group to “protect” another — for the sole reason that those who they have agreed to protect are responsible for providing a kick back, in the form of tax revenues, for the effort.
The end result? Loss of jobs, no increase in revenue, but ever more state control — this time, in the form of using government to punish businesses that provide consumers with better choices.
But relax. It’s for your own good. And to think otherwise is to fall prey to the CORPORATE TAKEOVER OF AMERICA!
Whereas the government takeover of your lives and choices? That’s the good kind of tyranny…
Jeff Bezos and Amazon are based out of Seattle. Colorado needs to hear from more Jeff Goldsteins (Coloradans who vote in elections). Yeah, it is about the fairness of getting re-elected and pandering to your own base.
Related I think. The dirty socialist Associated Press propaganda squad is shocked like the monkey that consumer spending rose in February once all the tax credit welfare from the first-time home buyer credit and all the rest started hitting serfs’ bank accounts.
So sales tax increases for the month will be very very validating of taxes wonderful taxes. But it’s just a shell game.
That’s the astounding part. They’ll make not a penny on this scheme, as the 3 states that have gone before them have made. In fact, they’ll lose revenue due to the taxable income lost by the former affiliates. And this from a law whose rationale was balancing the budget. Amazing.
Jeff, a question on your use of “to” in “none to fond”. I would’ve used “too”. Would I be too wrong?
‘feets! (I think you missed this earlier)
Dirty Socialists
But it’s a shell game that resembles the fabled and of late wholly cartooned John Meynard, ‘feets. Because surely Economic Theory™, backed by Economic Experts™, say spending a dollar returns nine or something, especially when laundered through government. Which coincidentally resembles note-backed fractional reserve banking, come to think of it.
So don’t worry. Be happy. Spend yourself rich.
But that’s the progressive part, Pablo, proudly conforming reality to expectation 24/7.
“The end result? Loss of jobs, no increase in revenue, but ever more state control — this time, in the form of using government to punish businesses that provide consumers with better choices.”
And the best part of the whole turd sandwich is that everyone will have to take another bite when the progs say “well, we are still short on revenue, so here is ANOTHER tax/tax increase that’ll fix it this time, really!”
hah! nicely done…
It’s such a shame the capitalisms had to end. Purple douchebags, purple douchebags.
They ended when we figured out to live large on the future and proudly hailed it national monetary policy.
Naturally the reforms available all these years later consist of paying the quarter-quadrillion dollar son of a bitch off or defaulting on it.
And it’s in the Constitution is the really cool part.
I’ve got it all figured out. Why didn’t I see it before?
A lot of people are unemployed because the economy is bad.
The unemployed people aren’t producing enough tax revenue for the states.
The people who still have jobs are worried about the economy and aren’t spending a lot of money.
We have to get the people who still have jobs to spend more money to make the economy good.
All that spending will increase tax revenue for the states.
The best way to get people to spend more money on less stuff is to make everything more expensive.
Because when things are more expensive, people are forced to spend more money.
BANG! Economy fixed!
Where’s my fucking Nobel Prize? Unicorns! Rainbows! My God! It’s all so clear now!!!
The end of the plural, yes. The State as “The Capitalist”, “The Corporation”. All shall love it and despair.
Which is looking like it is going to provide a big boost to consumer credit.
Instapundit linked another person with the same problem you have yesterday.
http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/95540/
But relax. It’s for your own good. And to think otherwise is to fall prey to the CORPORATE TAKEOVER OF AMERICA!
Whereas the government takeover of your lives and choices? That’s the good kind of tyranny…
Government tyranny is much better than corporate tyranny.
I mean, you can’t vote a corporation out of office, so you’re stuck buying their product. No recourse.
There is a turn of phrase used in various forms “loss of taxpayer dollars”, or “funds”, or “money”. It never seems to refer to actual taxpayers losing their money through taxation, only that the ones who have already caused the taxpayer to have lost the funds have now in turn lost the money they took.
In other words, It’s only “our money” after they have squandered it.
I mean, you can’t vote a corporation out of office, so you’re stuck buying their product. No recourse.
Too true. Plus the horror stories that are coming out of the corporate courts and prisons are truly terrifying. Who will protect us from the corporate judges of Wal-Mart? Who will make them stop hauling the good citizens of this land before their cruel judicial machines for failure to properly enjoy the joy that is price rollback?
Harsanyi weighs in.
Every night I lie awake listening for the knock at the door that will surely come…the men with no names who find people like me who, however secretly, cling to their desperate need to overpay for brand-name peanut butter…through informants…loose talk from schoolyard children…unburned receipts…the humiliating late night confession in the van…”I was just running in!”…”The lines are shorter at Kroger on Sunday!”…”For God’s sake, I thought I had a coupon!”…then the march across the vast expanse of blacktop, past the cheap gas and sleeping RVs docked like so many Chinese container ships at the quay of my soul…and finally…Sam’s Choice crunchy for $1.79…the big one too…and my tears under the fluorescent lights as I scan my debit…and Christ, I should get the marshmallow fluff while I’m here.
Oh No!
It’s happening to me again!
There must be something wrong with my brain! Everywhere I look in the government, I see ASSHATS!!!!!
VOTE FOR ASSHATS!!!!
Are they attempting to tax internet sales differently from traditional mail-order sales?
Somewhere, Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck, weep.
http://userpages.umbc.edu/~lindenme/hist102/searshistory.htm