Online retail giant Amazon.com Inc. is about to set a record that few in the tax policy arena thought would ever be achieved.
Amazon, the national leader in e-commerce sales, is expected to vault past a record for state and local tax subsidies held for many years by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the undisputed king of brick-and-mortar retail sales.
An exact calculation of the total level of state and local subsidies for either company would be impossible due to the lack of a central economic development data source and inconsistencies in disclosure protocols among jurisdictions. However, a conservative estimate by the ...