Florida's tax free online buys deleted?

Amazon.com joins e-commerce push for national tax policy

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida's tax free online purchases may fall to a sudden change in policy by e-commerce heavyweights like Amazon.com.

The home of Kindle is embracing a 50-state tax  protocol that would, in theory, end the exemptions that states like Florida enjoy right now.

Gov. Rick Scott has been reluctant to support any tax that would add to the existing tax burden of Florida consumers.

GOP Senator Evelyn Lynn of Daytona Beach, argues the on-line tax is basically  ignored by on-line shoppers in the sunshine state.

"When you buy something, you pay tax in it. This is not a new tax. It's an existing tax that's required to be paid," Lynn said.

Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Washington state already take in tax from Amazon.com purchases and now additional states are lining up for an online tax return.

California and Pennsylvania sales tax on Amazon purchases went into effect this month, while New Jersey and Virginia will begin in July and September 2013, respectively. Beyond 2013, Indiana, Nevada, and Tennessee will collect sales taxes beginning in January 2014, and South Carolina in January 2016.

Florida is not on that Amazon tax list yet.

The online giant is reportedly considering a two-year moratorium on a Florida sales tax in exchange for a location to build a distribution center.

Those talks are only in preliminary stages so for now, the sales tax for online purchases in many states is based on an honor system and most consumers are choosing not to pay.


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