In case you hadn't heard, the Colorado legislature has introduced a bill which would make merchants collect sales tax if they have even one affiliate in Colorado. As a result, over 200 merchants have already said they will quit working with all Colorado affiliates. This could wipe out significant income overnight for affiliate marketers, bloggers and non-profits that use affiliate programs to raise money for their organizations.
We still have a chance to fight this bill, but we need your help. There are two easy things you can do today and tomorrow to help fight the advertising tax in Colorado.
1. Send emails to the 11 finance committee members TODAY. Their addresses and an email template are provided below.
Here is my email to them. The template is below.
I strongly oppose HB-1193, the affiliate nexus tax bill. If this bill passes, the state will NOT gain additional taxes, and my small business income will be drastically reduced in the process.
Part of my income is earned by selling advertising on web pages, including affiliate links to vendors like Amazon.com. In addition, as a social media consultant, I teach Colorado freelance writers and bloggers how to use affiliate programs to earn an income. While the monetary gains for my clients are small, it gives them the ability to earn money while working from home – very important for parents of young children, people with health issues, and caregivers for sick and elderly relatives. Also, as a former charter school board president, my school earned fundraising money through affiliate links that helped pay for essential classroom supplies. Many other Colorado non-profit agencies also use affiliate programs to raise money.
If HB-1193 passes, out-of-state retailers for whom I advertise and link to will terminate our partnership. Overstock.com has already given notice to Colorado affiliates that they will terminate if this law passes. When similar laws were passed in New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island, over 200 retailers terminated their affiliate programs, and many have promised to do the same in Colorado. If these retailers terminate my partnership, my income will be reduced and I'll pay less taxes.
This law would be futile: Colorado will not collect any new sales taxes, and my business will experience a loss in the process. A lose-lose for us both!
I respectfully request you reject HB-1193.
Best,
Anne-Marie Nichols
Anne-Marie Nichols
Social Media Consultant
The Write Spot, LLC
2. Show up at the Colorado state capitol tomorrow, Wednesday January 27th, at 1pm. A large showing of supporters will be tremendously powerful to help this cause.
Details below…
1. Email
- Please send one email to each committee member
- Best: add a few words about your business (note placeholder in template)
- Stick to these simple points. There are a lot of reasons to oppose this bill, but we believe the simple points in the email are what matter most to legislators.
Chairman Joel Judd
[email protected]
Vice Chairperson Debbie Benefield
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Representative Brian DelGrosso
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Jerry Frangas
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Representative Cheri Gerou
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