[markwelch]

A CBS-7 TV reporter in Sacramento is doing a story about the "Amazon tax" today, and would like to get an on-camera interview TODAY with a web publisher (affiliate) who is near Sacramento.

If you are a web publisher (affiliate) in the Sacramento area, please call Nanette Miranda [Phone Removed] before 1:30pm today (Monday, March 29).

She said that for an earlier story, she'd interviewed an affiliate who has now moved out of state because of the Amazon tax issue.


(Moderators: It's probably a good idea to delete the reporter's phone number after 2pm today, so she isn't pestered in future weeks or months.)

[markwelch]

FYI, here's the story (both text & video versions) as shown on KGO-TV (ABC 7) in San Francisco: Calif. lawmakers propose online sales tax, e-tailers protest | abc7news.com

It's not very clear, and includes some errors, such as stating that affiliates would collect the sales tax ("... would force California-based websites facilitating purchases as an affiliate to charge sales tax").

The article notes that Amazon & others will terminate their relationships with California affiliates, who will lose revenue and pay less income tax as a result, but it doesn't clearly state that these e-tailers still won't collect California sales tax.

However, the only California publisher (affiliate) portrayed in the article said "It'll be harmful to us and won't be helpful to the state of California." That is certainly the core message we want legislators and Gov. Brown to understand.

I was disappointed that the report didn't mention that another web publisher (whom Ms. Miranda had interviewed for an earlier report) had moved out of California to avoid being harmed by the law. That's a compelling example!