Some members of South Carolina’s largest religious denomination are questioning whether the state should offer Amazon.com a tax exemption, saying they are concerned the company sells pornographic materials.
Amazon is building a 1,200-job distribution center in Lexington County. But the company has threatened to abandon the facility if the state does not approve a bill exempting it from collecting sales taxes on its sales within South Carolina.
The fight has become a national issue as traditional retailers, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target, oppose the deal, saying it would give a competitive advantage to Amazon.
Both sides have hired lobbying and advertising consultants to push their points of view.
However, the move by opponents – previously largely libertarians and Tea Party-minded Republicans – to bring in social conservatives broadens the opposition to the Amazon deal.
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