Dead Malls and the Generational Cycle

[David Horn]

(01-02-2017, 04:57 PM)Mikebert Wrote:

(01-01-2017, 07:49 PM)Warren Dew Wrote:

(01-01-2017, 08:08 AM)Mikebert Wrote: If Trump were smart he would use this as an example of the job-destroying policies of his predecessors and push for eliminating the exemption from sales taxes online retailers get.  The kingpin of these is Amazon.  CEO of Amazon is Jeff Bezos with whom Trump is at war.  What better way to stick it to Bezos--as candidate Trump vowed to do?  This could be a wonderful policy politically, why should online retailers get special tax treatment that destroys local retail jobs?

Actually Amazon is in favor of extending sales taxes to online retailers, because they are big enough and have operations in a sufficient number of states that they have to charge tax in a lot of cases anyway.  Nor would it change anything with respect to brick and mortar retailers.

It may not change much, but there is a question of fairness.  As one who is opposed to crony capitalism I would think you would be in favor of this.  On the other hand, I did not know Amazon was in favor of this.

Amazon has a split business model.  It operates as a huge retail outlet with physical facilities in most sates, and it also hosts hundreds of small retailers in much the same way eBay does.  Since they are already required to collect sales taxes on their own sales, why not keep the field level by making others do the same.