The online store of the Trump Organization, which sells Trump-branded merchandise including faux gold-bar piggybanks and pricey golf shirts, says it charges sales tax only to shoppers in Florida and Louisiana, despite having a physical presence in New York. That appears to flout rules on tax collection that President Trump has used in recent days to attack Amazon.com and its owner, Jeff Bezos.
According to The Wall Street Journal, TrumpStore.com does not collect sales tax from New York shoppers. But the site is registered to the Trump Organization, whose headquarters are in New York City’s Trump Tower. That location includes a retail store which sells merchandise similar to that available online.
New York businesses are subject to national rules requiring sales tax be collected by online retailers with a physical presence in a state. Moreover, New York requires sales tax be collected by any online seller with more than $10,000 in annual sales in the state through local marketing referrals, whether they have a physical presence or not. Many other states, moreover, have some variety of this so-called “Amazon Law.”
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In a statement to the Journal, a Trump Organization spokesperson said “Trumpstore.com has always, and will continue to collect, report, and remit sales taxes in jurisdictions where it has an obligation to do so.” Representatives of the White House and New York tax authorities did not comment.
Trump has recently renewed a long-running campaign against Amazon, which seems to be substantially motivated by Jeff Bezos’ ownership of the Washington Post, which has broken numerous stories harmful to the President. Among Trump’s attacks is the claim that Amazon pays “little or no taxes to state and local governments.” But Amazon now collects sales taxes in all 45 states that have such a tax, though not for third-party vendors that use its platform.
President Trump retains his stake in the Trump Organization but has delegated its management to his sons while he is in office.