This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Only when pressed to comply with the order of the state Records Committee did the Utah Tax Commission finally disclose the previously confidential agreement between the state and Amazon in which Amazon began collecting sales tax on Utahn's online purchases.
The Tax Commission disclosure is lacking substance and very ambiguous. What was Utah's great intimidation to get Amazon to take action? Perhaps Utah threatened to audit Amazon's books to see if Utah residents were paying the taxes (as they are supposed to do). Still a lot of unanswered questions concerning the mysterious, confidential state contract.
Michele Stuart
Salt Lake City