Amazon Seeks Calif. Sales Tax Referendum

SEATTLE (TheStreet) -- Amazon.com(AMZN) filed a petition for a referendum in California that would ask voters to repeal a new law that requires online retailers to collect sales taxes.

Amazon has until late September to gather as much as 500,000 signatures to get the referendum on the next statewide election in February.

California last month became the ninth state to pass a law approving the collection of taxes from online retailers.

Amazon's petition was filed Friday. California officials confirmed they received Amazon's petition.

"This is a referendum on jobs and investment in California," said Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of public policy, in a statement. "At a time when businesses are leaving California, it is important to enact policies that attract and encourage business, not drive it away. Amazon looks forward to working again with tens of thousands of small business affiliates in California that were harmed by the new law's effect on hundreds of out-of-state retailers."

-- Written by Joseph Woelfel

>To contact the writer of this article, click here: Joseph Woelfel

>To submit a news tip, send an email to: [e-mail].

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints