On April 12th, the president issued an executive order demanding a task force operation of the USPS’s operations and finances, stemming from a belief that it undercharges Amazon to the detriment of brick and mortar retailers.
President Trump has taken to Twitter in the past to target both USPS and Amazon. Last June, he wrote: “The #AmazonWashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet taxes (which they should) is FAKE NEWS!” Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon, also owns the Washington Post. He has also criticized Amazon’s business model as a “no tax-monopoly.”
The order calls for the task force to investigate the USPS’s finances and report back to him by the end of summer with recommendations on administrative and legislative changes.
One of the president’s concerns is not addressed: that Amazon does not pay the taxes that brick and mortar businesses do, giving the e-commerce giant an unfair competitive advantage. As recently as March 28, Trump tweeted, “I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the Election. Unlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state & local governments, use our Postal System as their Delivery Boy (causing tremendous loss to the U.S.), and are putting many thousands of retailers out of business!”
No word is given on why that issue is not addressed. It could be that Trump found himself corrected, since Amazon’s latest annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commision shows that the company pays full taxes and as of last April, charges sales taxes in all 45 states that require one.
The full executive order can be read here.
