No to Amazon

The state of Tennessee should not permit Internet retailer Amazon to evade the collection of sales tax. Every brick and mortar store in Tennessee is placed at an automatic disadvantage to Amazon as they all must still collect sales tax. Every individual Tennessean along with Amazon's business competitors are now forced to subsidize Amazon. That means my family, your family, and the store down the street all must pay more so Amazon can pay less and that is inherently unfair. Even worse, those with less scruples may go to the neighborhood shoe or electronics store and try out merchandise that they will then purchase on Amazon.com to elude the nearly ten percent sales tax Tennessee levies on every other business with a physical (rather than virtual, that is online only) presence in Tennessee. The state of Tennessee assisting Amazon comes at too great an expense.