The Austin American-Statesman had a nice, balanced article on the advertising tax battle in Texas this weekend.
I had a chance to chat with the author of the piece, Barry Harrell, and share my story.
The article included a statement from Eric Bearse, Texas spokesman for the Alliance for Main Street Fairness, that I have heard repeatedly, but have yet to see substantiated…
“If you have tax fairness, that creates jobs in sales for brick-and-mortar retailers,” Bearse said. “Then they can expand their sales forces, whether it’s virtually or in the store. They can invest more in the state, make more sales and be able to expand their online presence, maybe even through affiliate marketers.”
This is all predicated on the assumption that people shop online strictly to save on sales tax. That is simply “fairness” mythology. How about convenience, better pricing, more selection, etc.?
Read the article: Affiliate marketers may be collateral damage in Amazon’s Texas sales tax fight