I'm a book lover. If I go to Avid Reader in Sacramento and buy a book, the store collects a sales tax. The same is true if I go to a Barnes & Noble store or website and buy a book. Firms that sell both in a store and online - like Target, Sears or Best Buy - also collect taxes on their online sales.
However, if I go to Amazon.com, which only sells online, they don't collect any sales tax on the items that I buy.
That amounts to a big, unfair price advantage in the marketplace for Amazon and others that sell only online. Change is a matter of updating antiquated laws designed back in mail-order days.
Some states already have acted. New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Illinois require online-only sellers to collect sales taxes just like in-store retailers if they have an in-state presence. California should be next, by passing Assembly Bill 153.
Broadening the sales tax base has another benefit. Over time, maybe California could lower its sales tax rate.
Whether in person, through the mail, over the telephone or on the Internet, all sales should be treated the same.
Pia Lopez writes for The Sacramento Bee opinion pages.