You mean collect sales taxes on consumer behalf, obviously Amazon wouldn’t pay sales tax on anything they didn’t buy. Before 2017, consumers were supposed to pay sales taxes themselves on purchases in any state where Amazon didn’t have a presence (they of course had to collect sales tax in any state they had warehouses in). But that would be like a Washingtonian having to pay sales taxes on purchases they made in Oregon, they mostly didn’t bother.
The whole states couldn’t mandate internet retailers to collect sales taxes in states they didn’t operate in was setup by the federal government (who regulate interstate commerce) and didn’t apply to just Amazon. The taxes were still owed by consumers, but the burden of collection not being ar the retail level meant that they were mostly not paying.
What do you think businesses do after they “collect sales tax” they pay it to the government.
What brick and mortar doesn’t charge sales tax and leaves it to the consumer to pay to the government directly?
You are making the very same bs argument Amazon made in multiple courts and lost, of course Amazon has to collect the sales tax, businesses get sales tax numbers from governments a consumer can’t exactly pay sales tax directly to governments, despite what Amazon tried to argue that’s not how sales tax works, all sales tax is reported/collected/paid based on a business sales tax account.
> What do you think businesses do after they “collect sales tax” they pay it to the government.
"Collecting sales tax on on behalf of the consumer for the government" should give you a good clue to what they are doing with that money. Consumers always paying the sales tax, not the businesses who collect them. They are still responsible for paying sales tax even when the business isn't collecting them (e.g. when I go to Portland and buy a MacBook Pro from the Apple store, I am supposed to myself pay sales tax to Washington state).
> What brick and mortar doesn’t charge sales tax and leaves it to the consumer to pay to the government directly?
The federal government created this scenario during the Bill Clinton Administration. It wasn't something Amazon decided on its own. And again, brick and mortar stores don't always collect sales tax (see Portland Apple store above, which gets way more business than is expected for the Portland area).
> You are making the very same bs argument Amazon made in multiple courts and lost, of course Amazon has to collect the sales tax, businesses get sales tax numbers from governments a consumer can’t exactly pay sales tax directly to governments, despite what Amazon tried to argue that’s not how sales tax works, all sales tax is reported/collected/paid based on a business sales tax account.
Again, Amazon didn't make that decision. It wasn't their decision to make. If you want to go after someone, go after the Clinton Administration, the congress that was installed at the time, and the Supreme Court.
> They are still responsible for paying sales tax even when the business isn't collecting them (e.g. when I go to Portland and buy a MacBook Pro from the Apple store, I am supposed to myself pay sales tax to Washington state).
That isn’t how sales tax works at all.
Good luck going to apple and trying to buy a MacBook and telling them not to charge sales tax because you are going to pay it yourself.
Paying sales tax as an individual to a state isn’t a real concept, businesses collect it because they have to by law the business is liable for the sales tax based on their receipts plus penalties, states don’t go after consumers. If businesses weren’t liable, then none of them would charge it/collect it/account for it/pay it to the state, because it’s extra work. They do it because they are liable for it.
But please I’d love for you to share your proof/receipts that you have successfully bought a MacBook without apple charging you sales tax and your proof that you paid it directly to state.
The whole states couldn’t mandate internet retailers to collect sales taxes in states they didn’t operate in was setup by the federal government (who regulate interstate commerce) and didn’t apply to just Amazon. The taxes were still owed by consumers, but the burden of collection not being ar the retail level meant that they were mostly not paying.