Well, isn’t this some muthafricking bullhockey. The NY legislators approved a statewide sales tax last week that requires online retailers to collect tax for purchases shipped to the state. That includes online retailers that have no physical existence in the state. NY Governor David Paterson is expected to sign off on this.
“This is a first step — but a critical one — in our ongoing battle to level the sales tax playing field between New York retailers and the out-of-state Internet giants that have, for years, capitalized on an unfair and unintended competitive advantage driven solely by tax policy,” James Sherin, president CEO of the Retail Council New York, said in a statement reacting to the bill’s passage.