For anyone who thinks Mayor Booberg is good: Bloomberg Backs Paterson on the Amazon Tax Question: Be afraid, be very afraid!
Demonrat Booberg:
Mayor Bloomberg is siding strongly with the Paterson administration and against three New York lawmakers in the debate over whether Albany can tax out-of-state companies who do business in New York.
Seeking millions in added tax revenues, the administration this spring enacted a pair of provisions to assess business taxes against out-of-state banks that issue credit cards in New York and to force online retailers such as amazon.com to collect state and local sales taxes on goods shipped to the state. Those changes could be undercut by a federal bill backed by Senator Schumer and Reps. Anthony Weiner and Gregory Meeks that would restrict the ability of states to collect taxes from companies with no “physical presence” in the state.
Weighing in on the issue yesterday, the mayor said it was a matter of fairness for a Web site such as amazon.com to pay the same tax rate as a local bookstore.[…]
[…]The mayor later held a private meeting with Senator Clinton, during which he invited the former first lady to a “welcome back” event in New York City to celebrate her historic presidential run. A City Hall spokesman, Stuart Loeser, said the event would be at Gracie Mansion, but that neither a date nor a guest list had been set.
The two leaders often praise each other in public, although for a period last fall it looked as if they might face off as part of a three-candidate presidential race.
Mr. Bloomberg and Mrs. Clinton were initially mum on what came up during the more than 15-minute meeting that followed a presentation by the mayor to the Senate Democrats’ weekly policy lunch. “The American League versus the National League,” Mr. Bloomberg quipped, referring to the 15-inning All-Star Game that he attended Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
Mrs. Clinton said they discussed priorities for the city, chiefly the New York delegation’s effort to secure funding for health programs for ground zero recovery workers who have illnesses linked to the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.