Texas House Bill 1317, which would put countless small businesses in the state out of business, is scheduled for public hearing on Monday, March 28, 2011.
The bill, filed by Representative Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin), aims to force out-of-state retailers to collect Texas state sales tax for Internet sales, based on the view that affiliate marketers constitute a tax nexus for the retailers.
As we’ve seen with similar legislation in other states, most recently in Illinois, Amazon and other affiliate programs remove the affiliates of that state from their affiliate program, so they still do not assume a tax nexus, which means no additional tax revenue collected.
The affiliate marketers are effectively fired, due to the legislation, which results in less income for state residents and the state economy.
Plus, some of the newly unemployed will inevitably lead to an increase in government expenditure, as Texas will have to pay out benefits to support the unemployed. Who pays for that? The taxpayers.
Small business loses. The local and state economy loses. The state budget loses. The taxpayer loses.
Come out and show your support against Texas House Bill 1317 – the failure of this bill would be a win for Texas!
Join Texan affiliate marketers at the Capital building in Austin on Monday, March 28, 2011. RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/internetmarketingparty/events/17025598/.