Amazon's Exit Spurs Tax Fight in Texas

The planned closure of an Amazon distribution center in a suburb of Dallas has opened a debate about whether taxes or jobs is the better answer for Texas' tattered budget. The online retailing giant said last week that it would close its center in Irving due to a dispute with the state comptroller, who is demanding that Amazon pay $269 million in sales taxes it should have collected on goods sold to Texas residents. Comptroller Susan Combs (R) said she was disappointed to see the facility's 119 jobs go, but her duty was to collect. That position had caused discomfort for Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), who promotes his policies as job-creating. In a rare public disagreement with a fellow Republican, he said Comptroller Combs made the wrong call. "The governor was not happy with the outcome," of the tax fight, said Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Gov Perry. The disagreement comes as state legislators try to tame Texas' budget deficit, estimated at $15 billion to $27 billion.