Not only would this harm 10,000 hard-working Utah bloggers' ability to make a living, but it is clearly unconstitutional, per the Supreme Court (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quill_Corp._v._North_Dakota), and thus, would be tied up in the courts for years. The matter is both settled and obvious to any reasonable observer. I am very concerned about wasting Utahns' tax dollars trying to undermine the Constitution of the United States of America. At minimum, the legislature should adopt Colorado's 2014 blogger exemption, or preferably, drop this controversial bill altogether.
D
Dave McLelland
10 years ago
This has been tried in other states and the online retailers simply terminate the affiliate programs in those states. Not only does this kill the income of bloggers and other affiliates in that state, the online retailers still don't need to collect the sales tax that is the goal of this legislation. Not to mention the additional loss of income tax collected by the state from the bloggers income and the additional sales tax revenue when the bloggers can no longer make purchases. This is a lose-lose proposition for the state and bloggers alike.
M
Michelle James
10 years ago
This bill will result in a proven loss for everyone involved: the companies will remove Utah affiliates; the bloggers will have a decreased income; and thus will produce less income and sales tax for the state of Utah. It is a clear and sure thing that Amazon and the other companies will immediately remove Utah affiliates, and some have done so even before these bills have passed. I know it seems like it may be a gain for the state of Utah, but if you research how this has gone in other states, you'll see it's exactly the opposite.
P
Paul Schroader
10 years ago
As I've represented many online merchants for more than a decade, I can tell you that they will choose to sever ties with any affiliates in nexus states rather than pay sales tax. This means that not only will Utah not be collecting sales taxes, as proponents anticipate, but Utah will also be losing significant income taxes from affiliates who will be put out of business.
C
Chuck Hamrick
10 years ago
Small business owner who focuses on affiliate program management. I don't want to see Utah affiliates lose their livelihood!
C
Catharine Preston
10 years ago
This is completely misunderstood! I'm not sure people are realizing the affect this will have on the Utah economy. With such big bloggers here, we can't afford to let this pass!
C
Chad Waite
· petition starter
10 years ago
This bill has, time and time again, been shown to do the exact opposite of what state lawmakers hope it will do. The idea of taxing online sales is so appealing, our elected officials haven't taken the time to look at the unintended consequences a bill like this will have on thousands of small business in the state.
Not only would this harm 10,000 hard-working Utah bloggers' ability to make a living, but it is clearly unconstitutional, per the Supreme Court (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quill_Corp._v._North_Dakota), and thus, would be tied up in the courts for years. The matter is both settled and obvious to any reasonable observer. I am very concerned about wasting Utahns' tax dollars trying to undermine the Constitution of the United States of America. At minimum, the legislature should adopt Colorado's 2014 blogger exemption, or preferably, drop this controversial bill altogether.
This has been tried in other states and the online retailers simply terminate the affiliate programs in those states. Not only does this kill the income of bloggers and other affiliates in that state, the online retailers still don't need to collect the sales tax that is the goal of this legislation. Not to mention the additional loss of income tax collected by the state from the bloggers income and the additional sales tax revenue when the bloggers can no longer make purchases. This is a lose-lose proposition for the state and bloggers alike.
This bill will result in a proven loss for everyone involved: the companies will remove Utah affiliates; the bloggers will have a decreased income; and thus will produce less income and sales tax for the state of Utah. It is a clear and sure thing that Amazon and the other companies will immediately remove Utah affiliates, and some have done so even before these bills have passed. I know it seems like it may be a gain for the state of Utah, but if you research how this has gone in other states, you'll see it's exactly the opposite.
As I've represented many online merchants for more than a decade, I can tell you that they will choose to sever ties with any affiliates in nexus states rather than pay sales tax. This means that not only will Utah not be collecting sales taxes, as proponents anticipate, but Utah will also be losing significant income taxes from affiliates who will be put out of business.
Small business owner who focuses on affiliate program management. I don't want to see Utah affiliates lose their livelihood!
This is completely misunderstood! I'm not sure people are realizing the affect this will have on the Utah economy. With such big bloggers here, we can't afford to let this pass!
This bill has, time and time again, been shown to do the exact opposite of what state lawmakers hope it will do. The idea of taxing online sales is so appealing, our elected officials haven't taken the time to look at the unintended consequences a bill like this will have on thousands of small business in the state.