Another court slaps back and thieving Democrats, who will vote themselves the right to pinch money from any pocket they can conceivably reach.   Denver Post:

A federal court has thrown out a 2010 Colorado law meant to spur online retailers like Amazon to collect state sales tax.

The law had already been temporarily blocked in federal court last year, but U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn’s ruling Friday permanently handcuffs it.

“I conclude that the veil provided by the words of the act and the regulations is too thin to support the conclusion that the act and the regulations regulate in-state and out-of-state retailers even-handedly,” Blackburn wrote in his opinion.

The law and the rules to carry it out “impose an undue burden on interstate commerce” and are unconstitutional, the judge wrote.

Officials with Colorado Department of Revenue could not be reached immediately for comment on whether the state would appeal the ruling to a higher court.

The law was passed in 2010 as part of a package of Democratic-backed bills eliminating a number of tax exemptions, credits and breaks for a variety of industries to raise more than $100 million to help balance the state budget. Republicans called the bills the “Dirty Dozen,” and in 2011 when they took control of the House, Majority Leader Amy Stephens, R-Monument, attempted to repeal the “Amazon tax” law.

Stephens’ bill passed the House with support from many of the same Democrats who’d voted for the law the year before, and they pointed to the temporary injunction against it in federal court. But the bill died in the Democratic-led Senate.

Stephens said Blackburn’s latest ruling vindicated Republicans.

[…]

“Enforcing a reporting requirement on out-of-state retailers will, by definition, discriminate against the out-of-state retailers by imposing unique burdens on those retailers,” Blackburn ruled.

As a result of the legislation, Amazon canceled its affiliate program with thousands of Coloradans who took advantage of the partnership.  Here’s hoping that gets resumed post haste — though I haven’t heard of any immediate plans to reinstitute the program locally.  So, lost jobs and lost revenue — thanks to the thieving impulses of state Democrats who rammed through a law they were told was unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, you can bet those same local Dems — who have begun squealing predictably over the ruling — are already scheming for new ways to grab that “lost revenue”; and why wouldn’t they?  All money belongs to the state.  They just let you keep some of it.  Out of a kind of governmental benevolence.

Bless them.

(h/t DarthLevin and JohninFirestone)