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YOUR May 1 article on Internet taxation was, in general, excellent. On behalf of Amazon.com, however, I would like to clarify one aspect of your characterization of Amazon's position on the imposition of tax collection obligations on online sellers. Your piece declares that "Amazon.com lobbies against online sales taxes claiming they would inhibit the growth of Internet commerce. " This is incorrect. Amazon.com has been an active participant in the Streamlined Sales Tax Project from its early stages.

MIDDLETOWN, Del. - Middletown town officials have approved the construction of a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center for Amazon.com. The mayor and council green-lighted the project on Classic Drive, near Levels Road, on Monday night. Mayor Ken Branner says the Seattle-based online retailer has indicated the warehouse will have about 850 year-round employees. The site is expected to aid the neighboring Cecil County, Md., economy, which has seen growth in distribution center employment.

TRENTON - Amazon.com, the world's biggest online retailer, is in talks to open two warehouses in New Jersey in a deal that could bring 1,500 full-time jobs to a state where unemployment has hovered around 9 percent. State Assembly Democratic Leader Louis D. Greenwald, who has been involved in the talks, said Amazon was seeking a 22-month sales-tax holiday - opposed by some retailers and at least one lawmaker. The Seattle-based online retailer is not required, as brick-and-mortar retailers are, to collect the 7 percent state sales tax for purchases.

TV journalist Tim Russert's books have risen to the top of Amazon.com's sales chart since his death Friday. Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life , in paperback, ranked No. 1, while Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons , was No. 2, over the 24-hour period through 3 p.m. yesterday, the largest online bookseller said. "Interest in Tim Russert's books has increased since his untimely death," said Tammy Hovey, Amazon's public relations manager for media products.

They have golf on their minds in Voorhees these days. Day trading is hot in Mount Holly. So is Harry Potter. In Plymouth Meeting, it's Star Wars, back pain and HTML that get people going. And everyone, everywhere, is trying to lose weight. "Purchase circles," the latest blend of high-tech Internet bells and whistles with old-fashioned salesmanship, debuted on Amazon.com last month in what the online book company calls an effort to serve customers better. The concept is pretty simple: Click on a town, company name or university and you can see what books, CDs and videos are selling particularly well there.

From seemingly every corner came a low-level din. Conveyor belts whirred. Sorters chugged. Automatic labelers pressed on addresses with a steady ka-thunk, spitting out a new package every two seconds. Employees in sneakers and running shoes, computer printouts in hand, scurried among 152 aisles, grabbing books, CDs and videos. At noon Wednesday, a voice on the loudspeaker announced the hourly update: 2,317 orders received; 5,954 shipped. A cheer rang out. They were catching up on a backlog of orders at the company that claims to do things bigger, faster, better than anyone else.

"WE'RE MAKING premium products and selling them at non-premium products prices," twice declared Amazon.com chief Jeff Bezos this morning, as he took the wraps off several new tablet devices. On the surface, it appears Amazon.com is pricing the new hardware with little or no profit but is expecting to make it up on software sales. Customers will be locked into buying books, magazines, newspapers, movies, music, games and apps through Amazon.com's updated Kindle e-readers and its first color tablet, dubbed the Kindle Fire.

The 10 top-selling videos of movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock, compiled by Amazon.com as part of today's centennial celebration of the filmmaker's birth: 1. Psycho (1960) 2. North by Northwest (1959) 3. Vertigo (1958) 4. The Lady Vanishes (1951) 5. Strangers on a Train (1951) 6. Shadow of a Doubt (1943) 7. Notorious (1946) 8. Rebecca (1940) 9. The 39 Steps (1935) 10. The Birds (1963) Source: Amazon.com Personal favorite of Hitchcock, as well as of John Timpane, editor of the Commentary Page.

The story of P.K. Sindwani and his suburban Philadelphia bookstore is a saga of the beleaguered bookselling industry: good intentions, crazy times, and anyone's guess as to how things will turn out. For nearly two decades, Sindwani had done well at his shop near Ursinus College. But in 2010, with an anchor supermarket dying next door and the industry transforming at an exasperating pace, things got so tough that the onetime accountant and lifelong book lover was planning an exit strategy.

"God Bless the Spectrum," produced by the Daily News , is now available in paperback. The 160-page book, which covers the history of sporting events, concerts and other special nights at the recently leveled building in stories and more than 200 original photographs, can be purchased now for $19.95 at amazon.com or caminobooks.com. It also will be in area bookstores soon.

The story of P.K. Sindwani and his suburban Philadelphia bookstore is a saga of the beleaguered bookselling industry: good intentions, crazy times, and anyone's guess as to how things will turn out. For nearly two decades, Sindwani had done well at his shop near Ursinus College. But in 2010, with an anchor supermarket dying next door and the industry transforming at an exasperating pace, things got so tough that the onetime accountant and lifelong book lover was planning an exit strategy.

Tired of being outsold by online retailers, earthbound merchants have convinced legislatures in five states to force Web-based sellers to collect and remit sales taxes. Twenty others are working on similar laws. Now, it's time for New Jersey to join the trend and stop forgoing hundreds of millions of dollars in Web-derived tax revenue that it can use to meet its budget while protecting local businesses. Online retailers have an unfair advantage over florists, appliance stores, clothiers, music and gift shops, and other local businesses.

TRENTON - Amazon.com, the world's biggest online retailer, is in talks to open two warehouses in New Jersey in a deal that could bring 1,500 full-time jobs to a state where unemployment has hovered around 9 percent. State Assembly Democratic Leader Louis D. Greenwald, who has been involved in the talks, said Amazon was seeking a 22-month sales-tax holiday - opposed by some retailers and at least one lawmaker. The Seattle-based online retailer is not required, as brick-and-mortar retailers are, to collect the 7 percent state sales tax for purchases.

Online retail giant Amazon.com has won local approvals to build a million-square-foot "fulfillment center," with 850 full-time workers and up to 2,500 seasonal jobs, on 78 acres in Middletown, Del., a half-hour south of Wilmington. Delaware promised Amazon $7 million in road improvements and job-training grants to help attract the facility, said Gov. Jack Markell 's spokesman, Brian Selander . Middletown "gave them 10 years' tax abatement, free and clear," town manager Morris Deputy told me. The municipality will make some money by selling Amazon water and electricity from its publicly owned utilities, "and there's benefits to the restaurants and satellite businesses and hopefully a bump for some of our homebuilders.

MIDDLETOWN, Del. - Middletown town officials have approved the construction of a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center for Amazon.com. The mayor and council green-lighted the project on Classic Drive, near Levels Road, on Monday night. Mayor Ken Branner says the Seattle-based online retailer has indicated the warehouse will have about 850 year-round employees. The site is expected to aid the neighboring Cecil County, Md., economy, which has seen growth in distribution center employment.

NEW YORK - Filmmaker-actress Penny Marshall has a book deal with a fresh twist: The publisher is Amazon.com. The online retailer has been expanding its publishing operations. Marshall's agent, Dan Strone, announced yesterday that Amazon will release Marshall's memoir "My Mother Was Nuts" in fall 2012. Marshall starred in the 1970s sitcom "Laverne and Shirley" and went on to direct such hits as "Big" and "A League of Their Own. " According to Strone, Marshall will also write about her marriage to Rob Reiner, her friendship with John Belushi and her fight against lung and brain cancer in 2009.

"WE'RE MAKING premium products and selling them at non-premium products prices," twice declared Amazon.com chief Jeff Bezos this morning, as he took the wraps off several new tablet devices. On the surface, it appears Amazon.com is pricing the new hardware with little or no profit but is expecting to make it up on software sales. Customers will be locked into buying books, magazines, newspapers, movies, music, games and apps through Amazon.com's updated Kindle e-readers and its first color tablet, dubbed the Kindle Fire.

"God Bless the Spectrum," produced by the Daily News , is now available in paperback. The 160-page book, which covers the history of sporting events, concerts and other special nights at the recently leveled building in stories and more than 200 original photographs, can be purchased now for $19.95 at amazon.com or caminobooks.com. It also will be in area bookstores soon.

MEADOWLARK LEMON. The very name makes you smile. For those too young to remember, Lemon is "The Clown Prince of Basketball," best known for his 25-plus-year career with the Harlem Globetrotters. But he has been with other teams and still finds time to play 60 to 80 games a year with the Meadowlark Lemon Harlem All-Stars. To date, he's played 16,125 consecutive games. Take that Cal Ripken. "I'm ageless," Meadowlark said with a laugh. He's in town to promote his new book, "Trust Your Next Shot," which covers everything from how to live to what to eat. "It's more than just a title," he explained.

SEATTLE - Amazon.com launched a new private-sale website Tuesday, becoming the latest online retailer to offer limited-time deals on designer clothing. The new site, called MyHabit.com, promises discounts of high-end brands beginning daily at 9 a.m. on the West Coast. On Tuesday, for example, MyHabit offered a Doo.Ri women's halter dress for $398, down from $995, and Saurette girl's sundresses for under $50, rather than the regular $79-and-up price tag, giving shoppers until Friday morning to make a purchase.