Sales Tax

* Re “Sales Tax Mess Needs a Cleanup,” editorial, May 12: It would seem The Times never saw a tax it didn’t like. The editorial argues that “companies like Amazon.com enjoy a considerable advantage over their brick-and-mortar competitors. . . . Sales tax money in part pays for everything from public safety to roads and public transportation.”

Ah, but there’s the rub. Brick-and-mortar companies consume public funds for roads and public transportation to bring customers to their doors and require public funds for the public safety of police and fire protection. The dot-coms use only electrons, which are free.

DEVON SHOWLEY

Cypress