Monday, March 8th, 2010
It has happened, as I was afraid it would. Back on February 10, I wrote about how the Colorado HB-1193 had been changed so it would not include affiliates. Unfortunately, the bill still proved hazardous to merchants with affiliate programs.
This morning, I was bluntly informed by Amazon.com that as of March 8 (today!) my links would no longer be active and all affiliate programs through Amazon.com would be shut down in the state of Colorado. More information about this decision can be found here: Amazon Removes Colorado Affiliates and Why.
While I understand that such an action was most likely prudent on the part of Amazon.com, I do not agree with the way they handled the situation with the affiliates in Colorado. There was no warning save for the warning vaguely announced when this whole ordeal began. It would have been nice if Amazon.com had given even a week’s warning that the affiliate program would be shut down instead of shutting everything down the day the email was sent.
I am also displeased with the Colorado government. A large number of Coloradans were against this bill, which introduced new taxes in a time when new taxes are not the answer to a failing economy. Instead of listening to their constituents, the Colorado politicians merely ignored the outcry and proceeded to sign their pet bill into law.
I was taught in school that politicians were supposed to listen to their constituents and make a decision based on what the people wanted. After all, our tax dollars pay for their employment. We, the constituents, are employing them, the politicians. Should they not listen to their employers and follow their employers’ wishes?
The experience of fighting this bill has taught me a number of lessons. It taught me to never give up, even if the outcome does not appear to be favorable. It taught me to keep believing that some good will come of even the worst trials. It taught me to be strong in the face of adversity. It taught me to try to see both sides of the argument, even if I can’t agree with the opposition.
Unfortunately, it also taught me that Colorado politicians do not view me as a valued citizen. That I, and many other citizens of Colorado are not worth listening to.
Since receiving the news of the terminations of Colorado affiliates, I have been deleting some of the stores on The Mummy’s Wrap. Some of my affiliate stores are still operational as they are through other companies, but I am once again wary of building affiliate stores for fear that other merchants will follow in Amazon.com’s footsteps.
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Tags: Affiliate, affiliate tax, amazon, amazon tax, amazon.com, Colorado, colorado affiliate tax, colorado amazon tax, Colorado HB-1193, Internet Business, online business