BTW News Briefs

Amazon.com to Begin Charging Sales Tax in Kansas

In order to comply with the changes in Kansas' sales tax law, Amazon.com announced this week that it would begin collecting Kansas state sales tax starting April 1, as reported by the Associated Press. Rich Prem, Amazon's head tax official, told AP that the company -- which operates an automated distribution center in Coffeyville, Kansas -- had been working since last July with state officials to conform with the state's new sales tax law. Kansas is one of 38 states that have enacted legislation to implement the requirements of the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, a national effort to help states collect revenue lost through catalog and Internet purchases.

Prem estimated that Amazon.com would collect between $1 million and $1.2 million annually in sales tax from Kansas residents who purchase products distributed through the Coffeyville site, the AP article noted. Prem told AP that a number of states were looking to Kansas for guidance in implementing the SSTP changes, including Washington and Ohio. "We're all for simplification," he said. "We are just asking for one rule for our programmers."

Look for more coverage of Amazon.com's decision to collect Kansas state sales tax in an upcoming issue of Bookselling This Week.

Penguin's Susan Petersen Kennedy Wins 2004 Matrix Award

On February 2, 2004, the New York Women in Communications Inc. announced that Susan Petersen Kennedy, president of Penguin Group (USA), is the 2004 Matrix Award Honoree in the Books category. The annual Matrix Awards recognize exceptional women who have distinguished themselves in the communications fields of advertising, arts & entertainment, books, broadcasting, magazines, newspapers, online media, and public relations.

Actress Ellen Burstyn will present Susan Petersen Kennedy with the honor at the Matrix Awards ceremony. This year's Matrix Awards ceremony, which takes place at the Waldorf-Astoria on Monday, April 19, 2004, marks the 75th anniversary of New York Women in Communications. For more information, including other award recipients, please see the attached press release or visit www.nywici.org.