Trump adviser ties Amazon criticism to US Supreme Court case

Ruckar Here are 5 Amazon deals you can steal before Easter Here are 5 Amazon deals you can ste

Cristina Norman | 02 April, 2018, 00:48

He's criticized the company for skirting taxes, slammed its CEO Jeff Bezos for using the newspaper he owns to push Amazon's agenda, and occasionally accused Amazon of taking advantage of the U.S. Postal Service.

Mr. Trump tweeted Thursday: "I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the Election".

Trump also wants to change Amazon's tax treatment, the report said, an issue the president raised publicly past year when he called for an internet tax for online retailers, even though Amazon already collects sales tax on items it sells direct to customers.

Some retail competitors believe the third-party vendor policy gives the retail giant an unfair advantage, which may very well be true - Amazon reported a provisional tax expense of roughly $200m in U.S. state taxes past year, pennies against their $177.9B annual sales. The company didn't pay federal income tax in 2017 and in the past, did not pay sales taxes in many states.

But, earlier this year, the Supreme Court agreed to listen to arguments over internet sales taxes after South Dakota and 36 other states argued that times have changed in the Amazon era. Among the challenges that the postal service faces is its duty to serve the entire country.

Two things before we dive in: The Washington Post has been owned since 2013 by Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, as a personal investment via Nash Holdings LLC. "Right now, there is no internet sales tax, and, as a result, companies like Amazon can buy and sell goods without having to pay basic retail taxes". Now the company charges sales taxes in the 45 states that have them and the District of Columbia.

The online retailer has been continuously adding products which are ready to be shipped for next day or two day deliveries. "Towns, cities and states throughout the USA are being hurt - many jobs being lost!"

Washington and Pennsylvania recently enacted laws requiring collection of third-party merchants' sales taxes, and other states are expected to follow.

If that is the case, Amazon, widely believed to be one of the Postal Service's biggest customers, certainly benefits. Soon after Trump's tweet, the White House indicated imposing taxes on such companies.

Trump's attacks on Amazon reflect a broader debate about its effect on the United States economy.

Sources say Amazon had cut ties from the lobbying firms last Friday and in their place hired Paul Brathwaite of Federal Street Strategies LLC and Josh Holly of Holly Strategies Inc, both of whom have previously worked as outside lobbyists for Airbnb Inc and Oracle. Of course, Amazon might not even need the Post Office when its fleet of drones takes flight.

The Postal Service declined to comment on Trump's tweet. Its revenue from shipping and packages in fiscal 2017 was $19.5 billion, up 13% from the previous year.

"If there really was teeth or real concern that something would come out of the government and regulatory oversight, Amazon's stock drop would be a lot lower than it is today", said Robert Bacarella, portfolio manager at Monetta Financial Services in Wheaton, Illinois, which holds Amazon shares. The online retail giant clearly leverages many tools to keep the tax man at bay.

While the Postal Service has lost money for more than a decade, it swung to a profit this year largely because online shopping has led to growth in its package-delivery business.

Given that they follow the same model one would think Donald Trump would have more respect for Amazon but he's clearly not a fan.

Dec to 'address Ant's absence' in Saturday Night Takeaway opening

Towering Isner reaches new heights with Miami triumph

02 April 2018

IL resident died after using "fake weed"
Unsafe and often unknown chemicals in fake weed commonly sold in convenience stores can lead to numerous health problems. The process is often inconsistent and leads to variations in product strength and effects.

02 April 2018

George Hill Suffers Ankle Injury, Ruled Out in Pelicans vs. Cavaliers Game
James scored eight straight over a two-minute stretch to help the Cavs build a 105-98 advantage with 1:59 to go. James, 33, in his 15th season, scored his 10th (and 11th) point with 5:59 left in the first quarter.

30 March 2018

Warriors consultant Steve Nash will be inducted into Hall of Fame
He won a ring with Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and the 2011 Dallas Mavericks (apologies to still-salty Heat and LeBron fans). Still, during a 19-year career , he made seven All-Star appearances and was an All-NBA first team honoree in 1996-97.
02 April 2018

Dec to 'address Ant's absence' in Saturday Night Takeaway opening
He also confirmed that he would present the show alone with help from fellow hosts Scarlett Moffatt and Stephen Mulhern. Ant was charged with drink-driving following a collision on March 18, and is expected to appear in court on April 4.

01 April 2018

Teens carry cross 12 miles on Good Friday
Cooke says the play is set in a modern-day courtroom and it's a trial on whether or not Jesus was the Messiah. You might also be interested in. .

30 March 2018

Social media reacts to doctored photo in gun control debate
On Saturday, during the March for Our Lives rally , NRA TV shared several videos, explaining why they felt the march was wrong. Did you question someone identifying as a mother? Hogg also wanted to know "who's running against this guy".
01 April 2018

Rangers' Opening Day was ideal … except for the score
Moore started 31 games previous year and finished the season 6-15 overall with a 5.52 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Fox Sports 1 will showcase the action and the game will get going at 3:05 p.m.

01 April 2018

Rain and snow warning for Wales for Easter weekend
Cloudy, with a high near 55. "Some models say the snow misses CT , some models say CT gets blipped by this", Cameron said. Still with us in the east and add-on that breeze it will feel chilly, temperatures below par for the time of the year.

30 March 2018

Playboy deletes Facebook account after Cambridge Analytica scandal
India's main opposition party has become thoroughly embroiled in the Cambridge Analytica (CA) voter-manipulation scandal. He also revealed that CA has offices and employees working in India in different places.
02 April 2018

Towering Isner reaches new heights with Miami triumph
A precise backhand down the line put him 40-15 ahead and the second break point was converted with a delicate touch at the net. On Friday, he produced one of the best matches of his career, beating Indian Wells champions Juan Martin del Potro 6-1 7-6.

01 April 2018

'Welcome Home' ceremony gives Vietnam veterans proper homecoming
That was the message Thursday during a ceremony for National Vietnam War Veterans Day in the National Cemetery on Arsenal Island. Among the Vietnam veterans present was John Desselle, a civilian employee of the Naval History and Heritage Command.

30 March 2018

Former Mets star Rusty Staub dies at 73
In 1983, at age 39 with the Mets, he tied Dave Philley as the only players in baseball history with eight consecutive pinch hits. Staub, a six-time all-star, played 23 seasons from 1963 to 1985 with Houston, Montreal, the Mets, Detroit and Texas.

Jeff Sessions just tamped down conservative calls for a second special counsel Huber was nominated by former President Barack Obama in 2015 and was reappointed by Trump past year . Orrin Hatch, Utah Republican, said past year that he was pleased by the appointment.

Google dedicates doodle for India's first female physician Anandi Gopal Joshi Unfortunately, young Joshi did not keep too well, and she died just short of 22 years due to tuberculosis on February 26, 1887. As was the practice back then, Yamuna was married to a widower nearly 20 years her senior when she was just nine years old.

WTA Miami: Sloane Stephens rallies to beat Victoria Azarenka, reaches Miami final Ostapenko closed out the victory with her first match point and will now climb to world number four following the final. Taylor suggested her to mix it up not to give Collins easy balls to attack.

EPL: Salah strikes again to move Liverpool into second Liverpool continued to apply pressure; Salah looped a volley wide, but when Palace did attack, they never looked secure. Salah, an Egyptian global who is nicknamed The Pharaoh, is becoming more popular worldwide with each goal scored.

Sisi close to second term in office with 97% of valid votes The vote counting started right after closure of polling centers nationwide at 10 p.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Wednesday. His only challenger, Moussa Mostafa Moussa , a Sisi supporter, garnered 721,000 votes, the newspaper reported.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Scores A Stunner Minutes After Coming On He's been hurt, has played in only seven games this season - and none since late December - and he's not exactly a spry young man. Ibrahimovic had talks with MLS about moving to the Galaxy in 2016 before ultimately joining United on a free transfer from PSG.

El-P Defends Killer Mike Following Controversial NRA Interview While he initially stood by his stance , the continued backlash prompted Mike to issue an apology . Others were more critical of the fact that he chose to air his views through the NRA .

Cantor Fitzgerald Analysts Give Shire (SHPG) a $222.00 Price Target Matthew Tewksbury decreased its stake in Shire Plc ( SHPG ) by 81.49% based on its latest 2017Q4 regulatory filing with the SEC. Shares in Shire surge by over 20% as a Japanese suitor confirms it is mulling an offer for the rare disease specialist.

Microsoft's latest reorg shifts focus from Windows to Cloud Guthire also gets charge of AI speech, vision, augmented and virtual reality (what Microsoft calls mixed reality) efforts. Two key letters show up throughout Microsoft's major reorganization announcement this morning: AI.

EC orders probe into BJP IT chief's tweet EC has set up a committee to look into the matter and submit the report in seven days as to how the information got leaked. The BJP has been actively working to woo voters in the state ahead of the Assembly elections, scheduled for May 12 .

Ecuador Cutting Off WikiLeaks Founder's Communications Being a critical commentator and politicallly persecuted, Assange usually comments on global affairs on his Twitter account. In the summer of 2016, the anti-secrecy site published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee.

Google Street View Won't Be Available In India It has backed more than a dozen firms, including Aurima Inc., which is developing AI-powered sensors for autonomous vehicles. The new languages are less common in the world compare to other languages such as English, French and Spanish.

Govt to decide on action after Facebook, Analytica respond, says Prasad Previously, the settings were spread across almost 20 different screens and they're now accessible from a single place. The report added that the company is "trying to find more secure ways" of offering the same features.

Beyonce being bitten by unnamed actress sends Beyhive into frenzy Model and all-round Twitter don Chrissy Teigan has delighted in teasing her followers, claiming she knows what went down . Foster responded on her Instagram with the caption, "Flattering that anyone thinks I could get this close to Beyoncé ".

Car Attempts to Ram Into French Military, Suspect Escapes Police sealed off the area and began a search for the driver, while the army stepped up security around the barracks, Brulon said. The 25-year-old gunman, who claimed to be representing the Islamic State, was later shot dead by the police.

Trump adviser ties Amazon criticism to US Supreme Court case

Recommended