Amazon to bring new centers, 1K jobs to Columbus; will collect sales tax online

COLUMBUS

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. announced it will begin collecting state sales tax from Ohioans making online purchases.

The change, to take effect Monday, likely will mean a boost to the state’s coffers, with consumers who were unaware or who ignored the required payments in the past remitting what’s due at the time of purchase.

The collections were announced Friday during a press conference at the Statehouse, where Gov. John Kasich, John Minor, Jobs-Ohio chief investment officer, and Paul Misener, vice president of global public policy at Amazon.com, announced new data centers and fulfillment and related facilities to support the company’s U.S. network.

The locations in several Columbus suburbs will create more than 1,000 jobs over the next few years.

“This is really an intellectual triumph in a lot of ways,” Kasich said. “This is something that will send a message to our young people that, you want to think, you want to live in the future, you want to understand technology, you stay right here in Ohio.”

Read more about the new Ohio centers and the tax rules in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.