Advocacy

Booksellers and their customers can proclaim their support for free speech by joining a worldwide read-out of banned and challenged books on the Internet during this year’s Banned Books Week, from September 24 - October 1.

On Tuesday, July 19, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed legislation that makes clear that companies that have warehouses in the state, such as Amazon.com, must collect and remit sales tax.

The California Attorney General’s office has ruled that Amazon.com is legally permitted to seek a voter referendum to overturn sales tax fairness legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in late June.

In a slew of recent editorials, columns, and op-eds, Amazon.com is being skewered for its attempts to avoid collecting and remitting California sales tax.

This year, for the first time, readers from around the world will be able to participate virtually in Banned Books Week. During the September 24 – October 1 celebration, readers will be able to proclaim the virtues of their favorite banned books by posting videos of themselves reading excerpts to a dedicated YouTube channel.

ABA is among 100 public and private organizations that have joined a coalition to promote the second annual Small Business Saturday℠, to be held on November 26.

Just weeks after California Gov. Jerry Brown signed sales tax fairness into law, Amazon.com has filed a petition with the California Attorney General’s Office seeking a voter referendum to overturn the law. In response, ABA, NCIBA, and SCIBA will be reaching out to the California Board of Equalization to urge the Board to enforce the law.

In the wake of the recent passage of California’s sales tax fairness law, booksellers expressed happiness at the hard-fought victory, noting that it creates a level playing field and will improve the state’s economy, add jobs, and help struggling businesses.

In a decision with potential ramifications for other states, Tennessee’s Office of the Attorney General recently issued an opinion stating that it was “constitutionally defensible” for a state to require a remote retailer with a distribution facility or subsidiary in the state to collect and remit sales tax to the state.

An Internet Taxation Forum organized by Local First Utah featured panelists on all sides of the e-fairness issue, from those in support of both state and federal solutions to those who oppose requiring remote retailers to collect and remit sales tax under any circumstances.

The Federal District Court in Anchorage, Alaska, has permanently barred enforcement of an Alaska statute that violates the First Amendment right of free speech, saying it threatened to reduce all speech on the Internet “to only what is fit for children.”

Bringing a conclusion to months of furious Washington lobbying, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, June 29, voted to set a cap on swipe fees for debit cards at 21 cents, a conclusion that pleased neither banks nor merchants.

In a hard-fought and significant legislative victory, on Wednesday, June 29, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a sales tax fairness provision into law. The e-fairness win for independent bookstores and Main Street retailers follows more than a decade of advocacy efforts, which saw sustained opposition and many near-victories.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law banning video games with violent themes and images, saying that the state’s attempt to create a new category of First Amendment regulation for minors was “unprecedented and mistaken.” 

In California, it’s still an open question whether Gov. Jerry Brown will sign sales tax fairness into law, while an affiliate nexus bill fell short in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Amazon.com is attempting to negotiate a five-year sales tax exemption in Texas.