The Illinois Policy Institute has this op-ed in the Chicago Tribune:
Two years ago, Illinois enacted what's become known as the "Amazon tax." This measure, championed by Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, essentially forced online retailers to pay Illinois taxes even if they didn't have a storefront or other physical presence in the state. Under this law, working with Illinois-based marketing affiliates — such as a blogger who links to your product on his site — became enough to trigger an Illinois tax bill.
There's more:
In his sales pitch, Cullerton positioned the Amazon tax as good for Illinois' struggling economy: "House Bill 3659 will help spur economic activity and job growth within the state," he said, adding that the tax would generate $150 million, which would "prevent millions of dollars in cuts to public safety, health care, and education."
As it turned out, the tax did spur economic growth — in other states.
An article well worth your time.
