Category Archives: Bidness

Trash into treasure

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Waste Management Inc. is looking at ways to turn trash into energy, which is the next best thing to actual treasure. “In my mind, it’s pretty simple why we’re doing it: If we don’t figure it out, somebody is, and … Continue reading →

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Amazon to push for ballot initiative in California

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I believe we are entering “last refuge of the scoundrel” territory here. Amazon said [last] Monday that it would back a California ballot initiative that would roll back a new state law that forces more online retailers to collect sales … Continue reading →

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Amazon versus California

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting real in the Golden State. Saying it won’t force California customers to pay sales tax on their Internet purchases, Amazon.com is severing ties with 10,000 small businesses and individuals here who funnel shoppers to the online bazaar through … Continue reading →

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News flash: The Amazon sales tax problem requires a federal solution

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

How many times do we have to say it? State governments across the country are laying off teachers, closing public libraries and parks, and reducing health care services, but there is one place they could get $23 billion if they … Continue reading →

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Amazon offering a bribe to keep its sales tax exemption

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what would you call this? Amazon.com is negotiating a deal with Texas officials that would see the online retail giant promise to bring more than 5,000 jobs and $300 million in capital investments to the state over the next … Continue reading →

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Amazon versus the states

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Street takes a look at the national picture of Amazon’s battles with states over collecting sales taxes. In the past, Amazon has been protected by a 1992 Supreme Court ruling (Quill Corporation v. North Dakota) that prohibits a state … Continue reading →

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Bill in US Senate to make Amazon pay sales taxes

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As someone who believes that online retailers like Amazon should collect sales taxes and who believes that federal action will be needed to make that happen, I’m glad to see this. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says he plans … Continue reading →

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Amazon complains to the SEC about Texas trying to collect taxes on it

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Poor dears. Amazon said in a regulatory filing this week that the SEC is looking into its dispute with Texas, which began last year when the Texas comptroller’s office sent Amazon a $269 million assessment for four years of uncollected … Continue reading →

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Amazon not gone yet

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Amid its fight with the state over collecting tax on online sales, Amazon.com had said it would close its distribution center in Irving this week, resulting in the loss of 119 jobs. As of Wednesday, … Continue reading →

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Amazon abandons Texas

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More job losses, and we haven’t even started firing teachers yet. Online retail giant Amazon.com will close its suburban Dallas distribution center amid a dispute with the state over millions in uncollected state sales taxes, The Associated Press reported Thursday. … Continue reading →

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When the Love Boat goes condo

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That was my reaction when I read this. Minnesota-based River Cities is proposing a floating condo community that would be based in Houston. The developer, which is targeting retirees, is showing a model condo at the Marina Del Sol in … Continue reading →

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More on Amazon and the sales tax

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From Slate: Amazon has aggressively fought state efforts to impose sales tax on its operations. In 2008, New York passed a law that required online companies to collect taxes if they had deals with marketing affiliates based in the state. … Continue reading →

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Today’s TABC

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting story about the Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission and its struggles to find an identity. To me, the key bit of the whole thing is right here: Moreover, the agency, formed in 1935, still has many rules and regulations on … Continue reading →

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About that BP safety record, Governor…

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to his silly statement that the BP oil leak in the Gulf was an act of God, Governor Perry also made the curious claim that BP has “historically had a very good safety record from my perspective.” From … Continue reading →

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Amending the CPSIA

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve written before about the Handmade Toy Alliance, of which my cousin Jill Chuckas is the secretary. The HTA was formed after the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 because it was interpreted by the … Continue reading →

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Collecting sales tax on Internet purchases

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Tax revenues are down in nearly every state. Most states rely on sales taxes for a significant portion of their revenues. Purchases made over the Internet are generally exempt from sales taxes. You do the math. In recent weeks, legislators … Continue reading →

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Stiffed by State Farm

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Those good hands we’re supposed to be in? They’re squeezing the heck out of us. To leading lawmakers and even some insurance industry experts, State Farm hasn’t exactly been like a good neighbor in recent dealings with state regulators. The … Continue reading →

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Seeing gold in green

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Denying climate change and the adverse effects of carbon dioxide may be official policy of our Republican leaders, but word has apparently not filtered down to the business entrepreneurs whose capitalistic opportunism those Republicans usually lionize. “Energy is the biggest … Continue reading →

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Welcome back, Arne’s

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of people I know missed you while you were gone. Set in a century-old warehouse, Arne’s Warehouse & Party Store still looks like an old warehouse more than it does a store. After crossing a clunky metal turnstile, … Continue reading →

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Let’s do the time warp again

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Businesses try to restrict Internet access for employees, employees diligently try to find ways around these restrictions. What year is it again? It’s a common complaint from young people who join the work force with the expectation that their bosses … Continue reading →

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“Ghostboxes”

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Most people consider the opening of a big-box retail store in a community to be good news. But what happens when that store closes down? As the recession takes its toll on big-box retailers, more communities across the country are … Continue reading →

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Handmade Toy Alliance update

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

My cousin Jill Chuckas, who first alerted me to the Handmade Toy Alliance and its efforts to modify the CPSIA back in January, recently sent me an update on the HTA and its activities at this time. You can read … Continue reading →

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Meet the robocallers

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t think it was possible for me to hate the auto warranty robocallers any more than I already do, but apparently it is. [C]ourt documents filed this month in a Federal Trade Commission case against a Florida company — … Continue reading →

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Credit card reform

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Landmark credit card legislation, poised to reach President Obama’s desk as early as Memorial Day, will force the card industry to reinvent itself and consumers to rethink the way they use plastic. The Senate Tuesday took a critical step … Continue reading →

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Injunction issued against auto warranty robocallers

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yes! Yes, yes, yes! A federal judge has issued two temporary restraining orders designed to stop what officials describe as a wave of deceptive “robo-calls” warning people their auto warranties are expiring and offering to sell them new service plans. … Continue reading →

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Die, car warranty phone spammers! Die, die, die!

Posted on May 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

OK, maybe that’s a tad bit harsh, but if this leads somewhere I do hope that public execution will be on the table. Unsolicited calls to home and cell phones warning of a final notice and an expiring vehicle warranty … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Not everybody isn’t hiring

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The downturn in the economy has created an opportunity for the Houston Police Department to bolster its ranks. A year ago, the Houston Police Department could barely muster enough recruits to fill a 70-seat academy class. Now with 1,000 applicants … Continue reading →

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Always government handouts

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Greg Wythe

Texans for Public Justice have put together a really good report on government subsidies for WalMart here in Texas that I highly recommend. Stories like this constitute another reason why I tend not to get too bent out of shape … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Always government handouts

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texans for Public Justice have put together a really good report on government subsidies for WalMart here in Texas that I highly recommend. Stories like this constitute another reason why I tend not to get too bent out of shape … Continue reading →

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OneSpot

Posted on February 14, 2009 by Greg Wythe

It’s always good when you see a story like this about a friend. Venture capital investing has taken a nosedive, but deals are still getting done: Two Austin Internet startups will announce deals today totaling $7.5 million. OneSpot, which has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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OneSpot

Posted on February 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always good when you see a story like this about a friend. Venture capital investing has taken a nosedive, but deals are still getting done: Two Austin Internet startups will announce deals today totaling $7.5 million. OneSpot, which has … Continue reading →

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Green landscaping

Posted on August 13, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Just a bit from this story about hard times in the landscaping business that caught my eye: Lately [John Catapano, who owns Houston’s Western Horticultural Services, has] used more environmentally friendly products to help cut costs. Two years ago, he … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Landfill power

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Anheuser-Busch, the top U.S. beer seller, said today it will begin using landfill gas to help power its massive Houston brewery in a move designed to lower its soaring energy costs and keep beer prices from climbing higher. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The Steffy Plan

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where it’s due: After his solution-free criticism of the Pickens Plan, Chron columnist Loren Steffy has come up with a plan of his own for energy. My plan begins with the idea that energy is really about economics. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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