Governor Bill Haslam says he’s ready to talk with Amazon about any further investments in Tennessee, now that the state legislature has put off its discussion of whether the internet retailer has to collect sales tax.
Amazon is building distribution centers near Chattanooga and has indicated that it might put facilities in Knoxville or Nashville. Earlier this week, Haslam said he was waiting to talk to the company about that possibility, saying he wanted see what the legislature would do, first. But on Wednesday, the General Assembly decided it would wait until next year to make a choice.
In the meantime, Haslam says he can go forward.
“We probably will have some conversations with them. You know, they’ve expressed interest in the newspaper and some other things, I haven’t actually sat down and had that conversation with them, but we probably will in the next couple weeks.”
Amazon is also building a distribution hub in South Carolina. This week, that state’s legislature reversed its course, agreeing to give the company a five year sales tax exemption in exchange for increased investment there.
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