martinibuster - 9:32 pm on Mar 8, 2010 (gmt 0)

Charging sales taxes to online sales but not for mail order is unfair. Mail order has traditionally been exempt except when there is a physical facility in the state. I pay taxes on online purchases that are made within my state from companies that have facilities in the state. That's a fair playing field.

Whether online retailers have an unfair advantage might be debatable as I assume there are other costs associated with operating an online venture that brick and mortars do not have to shoulder.

Brick and mortars have the advantage of being able to offer instant gratification to customers who want a product sooner rather than later. They can compete online for local buyers, too.