Mass. Moves To Require Sales Tax From Amazon Customers

Massachusetts may soon join a growing list of states requiring an automatic state sales tax tacked onto purchases from online retail giant Amazon.com.

Federal law now requires online retailers to levy state taxes only if it also has a store or other facility in the state.

Since Amazon is negotiating both office and warehouse space in Massachusetts, state officials are hoping to force the company to add a 6.25 percent tax to Amazon purchases, which would add an estimated $45-million a year to state coffers.