Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Gov. Perry Kills Internet Tax Bill

Saying that HB 2403, the Internet Tax Bill passed by the legislature earlier this month, would cause "unintended consequences" for Texas, Governor Rick Perry has vetoed the bill. In a statement today, Gov. Perry said that he vetoed the bill because of "serious concerns about the impact and appropriateness" of the bill. Perry, in a statement said, "My strong preference is to conduct a thorough policy discussion with Texas lawmakers, consumers, retailers and technology experts – and with other states and even the federal government – about interstate commerce and the structure of state sales taxes in the 21st century." The move comes after a long battle between Texas and Amazon.com over $269M in uncollected sales taxes and an Amazon.com distribution center in Dallas, which is reportedly being shut down over the sales tax bill.