California legislation would tighten rules on Internet sales tax

(From the latimes.com) Mindy Benham knows how to pinch a penny. That’s why the Costa Mesa resident does a lot of her shopping on the Internet. She particularly favors Amazon.com Inc. because the giant e-retailer doesn’t collect California state sales taxes on her purchases.

“There’s something about Milwaukee, where I’m from, that people take pride in how little they pay for something,” said Benham, a magazine art director, who recently bought a pair of eyeglasses and a sofa online. “I don’t want to pay taxes on something if I don’t have to pay taxes. If I can save a couple of bucks, I’ll do it.”

Benham’s frugal ways are shared by millions of shoppers nationwide, whose enthusiasm for tax-free Internet purchases has driven up e-commerce sales 300% over the last eight years. In-store purchases rose about 120% in that time.

Read more here: California legislation would tighten rules on Internet sales tax