Small business losing sales
This is a response to “Tar heel state right to challenge Amazon,” [Opinion, April 22].
I especially like the fact that this editorial described all forms of out-of-state sales, not just the Internet. Most media outlets simply focus on the Internet tax, but it is far more than just the Web.
For decades, my small business has lost sales to 1-800-number, mail-order and catalog-sales organizations. When a Washington state business has a nearly 10 percent disadvantage from the get-go, it is too easy for any purchaser of a small, shippable item to skirt the sales tax.
Please, do what you can to convince our elected officials to stop the nonsense. The UPS could tell you in seconds how much it costs to ship to any ZIP code in the country. It would be simple to have all sellers calculate, collect and remit sales taxes to the ship-to state.
— Bob Lackman, Seattle