I live in North Carolina. It’s a pretty state. You get a taste of the winter months but you don’t get a lot of winter weather per se. Sure the summers are hot but that’s what air conditioning is for. Overall, it’s a great place to live and raise a family.
That is except for the state government and their attempts to collect taxes on online purchases made from Amazon. They have already pushed Amazon far enough that the online retailing giant ended its affiliate programs with North Carolina residents in 2009 thus depriving residents of the chance to bring money into the state that would be spent in the state and would give some ailing jobless folks a chance at survival. Nice move!
Apparently, Big Brother is alive and well in the Tar Heel state as well since the state government has been trying to get detailed purchase information from Amazon which would include names and addresses of those making purchases from 2003 to 2010. Fortunately, a federal judge has called the state on its draconian efforts and handed them a major setback in federal court yesterday. cnet reports:
In a victory for the free speech and privacy rights of Amazon.com customers, a federal judge ruled today that the company would not have to turn over detailed records on nearly 50 million purchases to North Carolina tax collectors.
The state had demanded sensitive information including names and addresses of North Carolina customers–and information about exactly what they had purchased between 2003 and 2010.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman in Washington state said that request went too far and “runs afoul of the First Amendment.” She granted Amazon summary judgment.
The Tar Heel State’s tax collectors have “no legitimate need” for details about the literary, music, and film habits of so many Amazon customers,” Pechman wrote. “In spite of this, (North Carolina) refuses to give up the detailed information about Amazon’s customers’ purchases, while at the same time requesting the identities of the customers and, arguably, detailed records of their purchases, including the expressive content.”
With privacy victories coming too few and far between these days at least we can feel like someone is paying attention and not letting the government run rough shod over privacy while squashing commerce in the process.
I suspect that the state feels they have good reasons for doing what they are doing. They will say that the taxes they want to collect will help the state. Pardon my cynicism, but if the affiliate money that was once coming onto the hands of the residents were turned back on that would REALLY help the state.
At the heart of this ruling though is privacy.
In addition, the ACLU intervened in the lawsuit asking for an even broader injunction against the tax collectors. They wanted Amazon to be prohibited from disclosing customer purchases without a subpoena, which the court did not grant.
In general, as Amazon stressed in its lawsuit, purchases of books, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, and other media enjoy special privacy protections.
So what is the North Carolina government trying to do here? At the core, it’s trying to collect taxes from both Amazon and its citizens because of online purchases. In the process, it is killing an avenue for commerce in the state and appearing as if it wants more data on its residents in a time when that is not considered such a good thing. I don’t get it.
In the end the state is only hurting itself though because as people learn about these attempts they will maybe stop short of saying they will set up a business in the Tar Heel state for fear of too much government intrusion. Sadly, no one wins in that scenario.
What’s your take on the idea of taxing online purchases? It’s an old story but one that will likely get more attention in these days of scarce money. Have you been impacted by rulings like this in any other states? What’s worse, more taxes or invasion of privacy to collect them?
Social Media Monitoring in Just 60-Seconds. Guaranteed!
Crawford is a 30-year-old outfielder who relies entirely on his speed. He may have more power than the Yankees current left fielder, Brett Gardner, but signing him would be a mistake.
Gardner is a pesky hitter who works long counts and drives pitchers crazy. Once he gets on base, he then causes havoc. The pitcher is so worried about him because he's a threat to steal on any pitch that they sometimes leave a cookie over the plate for the other hitters to feast on.
Both Gardner and Crawford's games are based on speed and who would you rather have? A 30-year-old who may soon lose a step or a 26-year-old who is entering his prime years?
To help solve the rotation issues the Yankees would do good to bring along Ivan Nova who impressed in his short stint in the big leagues this season. Nova possesses a mid-90s fastball and sharp breaking curveball. He has trouble getting through an opposing lineup for a third time making it paramount to develop a third pitch, but he's a cheaper alternative who could pay big dividends.
To help alleviate Jorge Posada who has shown that he cannot be an everyday catcher anymore, the Yankees should call up Jesus Montero. Montero started off his season slow, but rebounded to blast 21 home runs and hit to a .270 average.
The knock against Montero has been his defensive skills, but Yankees personnel believe his defense has improved enough to be a catcher in the big leagues. He is said to have Mike Piazza-type power to the opposite way and at worst he will be another Posada: someone who has below-average defense that can make it up with above-average offense.
To help out their aging left side of the infield the Yankees can use Eduardo Nunez to help give them days off. The Yankees made Nunez play multiple positions, so he can be super-utility player. He can play every day, but in different positions in order to give the older players rest.
Another player the Yankees are impressed with is somebody who has not gotten enough attention. His name is Brandon Laird and he played third base for the Yankees Double-A affiliate. This season he blasted 25 home runs, giving the Yankees hope he can fill a power spot in their lineup sometime soon.
Signing high-priced veterans would put the Yankees in a cycle which is hard to get out of. All one needs to do is look back to the 2002 and 2003 teams. They were filled with older players and were playoff failures, losing to teams who were more athletic and younger at every position.
This year's playoff exit happened the same way. The Texas Rangers beat out an aging Yankees team. To continue to compete against teams such as the Rangers and Rays, the Yankees need to continue to infuse young players to complement their aging core.
Youth leads to success and the Yankees should follow that memo this offseason.
Tree crushes miner to death at Mahdia - Stabroek <b>News</b> - Guyana
The life of a 49-year old miner was yesterday afternoon snuffed out after a tree fell on him while he was working at a mining area at Mahdia in Region 8.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/27 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning Chiefs fans! There's some interesting Kansas City Chiefs news today. A great piece from Cory Greenwood's hometown newspaper, and more on Chambers' playing time start us off. Enjoy.
Telefuture | Old <b>News</b> Report | TVs Merging with Computers | Mediaite
Well, print media, you were warned. A 30 year old news report from NBC news, archived by Vortex Technology, discusses the future of television in a segment creatively entitled Telefuture. In it, they spend a lof of time examining the ...
bench craft company complaints
bench craft company complaints
Tree crushes miner to death at Mahdia - Stabroek <b>News</b> - Guyana
The life of a 49-year old miner was yesterday afternoon snuffed out after a tree fell on him while he was working at a mining area at Mahdia in Region 8.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/27 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning Chiefs fans! There's some interesting Kansas City Chiefs news today. A great piece from Cory Greenwood's hometown newspaper, and more on Chambers' playing time start us off. Enjoy.
Telefuture | Old <b>News</b> Report | TVs Merging with Computers | Mediaite
Well, print media, you were warned. A 30 year old news report from NBC news, archived by Vortex Technology, discusses the future of television in a segment creatively entitled Telefuture. In it, they spend a lof of time examining the ...
bench craft company complaints bench craft company complaints
I live in North Carolina. It’s a pretty state. You get a taste of the winter months but you don’t get a lot of winter weather per se. Sure the summers are hot but that’s what air conditioning is for. Overall, it’s a great place to live and raise a family.
That is except for the state government and their attempts to collect taxes on online purchases made from Amazon. They have already pushed Amazon far enough that the online retailing giant ended its affiliate programs with North Carolina residents in 2009 thus depriving residents of the chance to bring money into the state that would be spent in the state and would give some ailing jobless folks a chance at survival. Nice move!
Apparently, Big Brother is alive and well in the Tar Heel state as well since the state government has been trying to get detailed purchase information from Amazon which would include names and addresses of those making purchases from 2003 to 2010. Fortunately, a federal judge has called the state on its draconian efforts and handed them a major setback in federal court yesterday. cnet reports:
In a victory for the free speech and privacy rights of Amazon.com customers, a federal judge ruled today that the company would not have to turn over detailed records on nearly 50 million purchases to North Carolina tax collectors.
The state had demanded sensitive information including names and addresses of North Carolina customers–and information about exactly what they had purchased between 2003 and 2010.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman in Washington state said that request went too far and “runs afoul of the First Amendment.” She granted Amazon summary judgment.
The Tar Heel State’s tax collectors have “no legitimate need” for details about the literary, music, and film habits of so many Amazon customers,” Pechman wrote. “In spite of this, (North Carolina) refuses to give up the detailed information about Amazon’s customers’ purchases, while at the same time requesting the identities of the customers and, arguably, detailed records of their purchases, including the expressive content.”
With privacy victories coming too few and far between these days at least we can feel like someone is paying attention and not letting the government run rough shod over privacy while squashing commerce in the process.
I suspect that the state feels they have good reasons for doing what they are doing. They will say that the taxes they want to collect will help the state. Pardon my cynicism, but if the affiliate money that was once coming onto the hands of the residents were turned back on that would REALLY help the state.
At the heart of this ruling though is privacy.
In addition, the ACLU intervened in the lawsuit asking for an even broader injunction against the tax collectors. They wanted Amazon to be prohibited from disclosing customer purchases without a subpoena, which the court did not grant.
In general, as Amazon stressed in its lawsuit, purchases of books, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, and other media enjoy special privacy protections.
So what is the North Carolina government trying to do here? At the core, it’s trying to collect taxes from both Amazon and its citizens because of online purchases. In the process, it is killing an avenue for commerce in the state and appearing as if it wants more data on its residents in a time when that is not considered such a good thing. I don’t get it.
In the end the state is only hurting itself though because as people learn about these attempts they will maybe stop short of saying they will set up a business in the Tar Heel state for fear of too much government intrusion. Sadly, no one wins in that scenario.
What’s your take on the idea of taxing online purchases? It’s an old story but one that will likely get more attention in these days of scarce money. Have you been impacted by rulings like this in any other states? What’s worse, more taxes or invasion of privacy to collect them?
Social Media Monitoring in Just 60-Seconds. Guaranteed!
Crawford is a 30-year-old outfielder who relies entirely on his speed. He may have more power than the Yankees current left fielder, Brett Gardner, but signing him would be a mistake.
Gardner is a pesky hitter who works long counts and drives pitchers crazy. Once he gets on base, he then causes havoc. The pitcher is so worried about him because he's a threat to steal on any pitch that they sometimes leave a cookie over the plate for the other hitters to feast on.
Both Gardner and Crawford's games are based on speed and who would you rather have? A 30-year-old who may soon lose a step or a 26-year-old who is entering his prime years?
To help solve the rotation issues the Yankees would do good to bring along Ivan Nova who impressed in his short stint in the big leagues this season. Nova possesses a mid-90s fastball and sharp breaking curveball. He has trouble getting through an opposing lineup for a third time making it paramount to develop a third pitch, but he's a cheaper alternative who could pay big dividends.
To help alleviate Jorge Posada who has shown that he cannot be an everyday catcher anymore, the Yankees should call up Jesus Montero. Montero started off his season slow, but rebounded to blast 21 home runs and hit to a .270 average.
The knock against Montero has been his defensive skills, but Yankees personnel believe his defense has improved enough to be a catcher in the big leagues. He is said to have Mike Piazza-type power to the opposite way and at worst he will be another Posada: someone who has below-average defense that can make it up with above-average offense.
To help out their aging left side of the infield the Yankees can use Eduardo Nunez to help give them days off. The Yankees made Nunez play multiple positions, so he can be super-utility player. He can play every day, but in different positions in order to give the older players rest.
Another player the Yankees are impressed with is somebody who has not gotten enough attention. His name is Brandon Laird and he played third base for the Yankees Double-A affiliate. This season he blasted 25 home runs, giving the Yankees hope he can fill a power spot in their lineup sometime soon.
Signing high-priced veterans would put the Yankees in a cycle which is hard to get out of. All one needs to do is look back to the 2002 and 2003 teams. They were filled with older players and were playoff failures, losing to teams who were more athletic and younger at every position.
This year's playoff exit happened the same way. The Texas Rangers beat out an aging Yankees team. To continue to compete against teams such as the Rangers and Rays, the Yankees need to continue to infuse young players to complement their aging core.
Youth leads to success and the Yankees should follow that memo this offseason.
bench craft company complaints
Tree crushes miner to death at Mahdia - Stabroek <b>News</b> - Guyana
The life of a 49-year old miner was yesterday afternoon snuffed out after a tree fell on him while he was working at a mining area at Mahdia in Region 8.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/27 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning Chiefs fans! There's some interesting Kansas City Chiefs news today. A great piece from Cory Greenwood's hometown newspaper, and more on Chambers' playing time start us off. Enjoy.
Telefuture | Old <b>News</b> Report | TVs Merging with Computers | Mediaite
Well, print media, you were warned. A 30 year old news report from NBC news, archived by Vortex Technology, discusses the future of television in a segment creatively entitled Telefuture. In it, they spend a lof of time examining the ...
bench craft company complaints bench craft company complaints
Tree crushes miner to death at Mahdia - Stabroek <b>News</b> - Guyana
The life of a 49-year old miner was yesterday afternoon snuffed out after a tree fell on him while he was working at a mining area at Mahdia in Region 8.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/27 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning Chiefs fans! There's some interesting Kansas City Chiefs news today. A great piece from Cory Greenwood's hometown newspaper, and more on Chambers' playing time start us off. Enjoy.
Telefuture | Old <b>News</b> Report | TVs Merging with Computers | Mediaite
Well, print media, you were warned. A 30 year old news report from NBC news, archived by Vortex Technology, discusses the future of television in a segment creatively entitled Telefuture. In it, they spend a lof of time examining the ...
bench craft company complaints bench craft company complaints
Tree crushes miner to death at Mahdia - Stabroek <b>News</b> - Guyana
The life of a 49-year old miner was yesterday afternoon snuffed out after a tree fell on him while he was working at a mining area at Mahdia in Region 8.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/27 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning Chiefs fans! There's some interesting Kansas City Chiefs news today. A great piece from Cory Greenwood's hometown newspaper, and more on Chambers' playing time start us off. Enjoy.
Telefuture | Old <b>News</b> Report | TVs Merging with Computers | Mediaite
Well, print media, you were warned. A 30 year old news report from NBC news, archived by Vortex Technology, discusses the future of television in a segment creatively entitled Telefuture. In it, they spend a lof of time examining the ...
bench craft company complaints bench craft company complaints
No comments:
Post a Comment