The deal they struck with SC provides relief from charging or collecting sales tax. The problem now is SC requires them to send an annual statement and the consumer is to remit the taxes directly to SC. A few years back mail order cigarette buyers got hit with huge tax bills.. same is going to happen here.
WTF? So I have to pay sales tax to SC even if I buy from Amazon while I'm in another state?? Are they really trying to get away with that??
No idea... it's a real cluster fuck: "Last week's late-night compromise in the Senate requires Amazon to include a clause in each purchase confirmation e-mail telling customers they could owe the sales tax to the state. The e-mail must include a link to the state Revenue Department. Amazon also must send customers a yearly tally of what they've spent, and specify they may owe the sales tax on their income tax returns. But that information will not be sent to the revenue agency, causing Haley to call the notification to shoppers meaningless." SC will have jurisdiction over Amazon and can simply subpoena these annual statements for compliance verification and begin enforcement. NY hit cigarette buyers with $50/ carton tax bills on all out of state purchases after subpoenaing sales records.