Rhode Island has become the second state in which Amazon.com has cut ties with its buisness associates in protest of a sales tax provision.

A provision in the draft state budget calls for collection of sales tax for purchases made on Amazon.com.

With the growth of e-commerce, lawmakers are looking to collect the sales tax that they were previously foregoing.

Amazon counters that this is an “unconstitutional tax collection sceme”.

Lydia Walshin is a North Scituate resident whose affiliate account was closed by Amazon as a result of the dispute. She questions the move, “If all of the programs pull out of Rhode Island, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of including this tax in the budget?” [PBN]

-Kate Galligan