The Utah State Tax Commission is keeping confidential the details of a new deal for Amazon — which makes an estimated 21 percent of all online sales — to collect sales tax for internet purchases made by Utahns.
The commission this week denied an open-records request for that information, filed by the Libertas Institute, a Salt Lake City-based group that says it fights for liberty.
Commission spokesman Charlie Roberts said Tuesday that disclosure is not required under Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). "The reason is it is commercial information and would provide undue advantage for competitors" if released, he said.
Connor Boyack, president of the Libertas Institute, disagreed.
"Taxpayers have a right to know what terms their government agreed to in order to have Amazon collect a tax that they are not legally required to. This agreement should be public for all to see," he said.