House, Senate Advance Internet Sales Tax Bills
Oklahoma House passes bill to collect tax on Internet sales
by Rick Green
Oklahomans who don’t pay sales tax when buying something online could be in for a rude awakening under a bill that has passed the Oklahoma House.
The legislation attempts to require many online retailers to add that tax to the purchase price.
Under current law, online retailers who maintain business operations in the state already add the tax, but those without stores do not, leaving consumers on the honor system to pay it later.
House Bill 2531, passed Thursday, has a long section expanding the definition of companies that must add the tax, including those that use Oklahoma warehouse and sales operations run by others.
Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, said the expanded definition is sufficient to take in a large range of online retailers, including the Internet giant, Amazon. The company did not return a call for comment.