Jessica
Is Utah's governor a moron? Instead of whining for more tax dollars from the Internet, he should try to get more Internet companies to move to Utah.
I pay taxes on things I order through the Net. I live in California. If I can get something cheaper from a vendor in Utah, I will buy in Utah. That's simple.
If you look, California has more people than Utah. So there is a greater chance that Californians would buy from a Utah company than Utahns buying from a California company.
A person that shops via the Net isn't driving. The fewer people on the roads, then less of Utah's tax money is required for roads. This is a net savings for Utah.
Now imagine that your governor gets his way. Be very careful for what you wish, you may just get it. Amazon.com is in Seattle. It is not too far from Canada. Amazon.com could take their server and jobs to Vancouver, and I can still avoid paying sales tax. Can Utah collect taxes in Canada or Mexico?
Think of Utah's Mormon history. When the U.S. government came into Utah to enforce an unpopular federal law against polygamy, many Mormons that practiced just moved across the border to Mexico or Canada. If this worked for Utah and its Mormons, why then wouldn't this work for Amazon.com?
Michael D. Johnson
Sacramento, Calif.