what is the impact of electronic comerce in the US?

Electronic commerce or ‘e-commerce’ is starting to have quite an impact on local commerce. One significant way is that sales tax is sometimes not collected and local governments feel cheated out of it. When it is collected the revenue goes to the sellers locality and not in the buyers. E-commerce has a tendency to reduce retail jobs because the ordering process is done online and this eliminates the need for a retail clerk; this is why you sometimes see a price listed as ‘online only’. A benefit, and one that I really like is that it greatly increases the choices available to anyone with a computer and a credit card. Another benefit is that you can usually get a better deal on line. E-commerce creates jobs for small entrepreneurs working out of their home. Sometime they dont even touch the merchandise, their website is set up to directly access the manufacturer or warehouse and it is shipped directly from there. One thing I just found out about this year is that here in New York if you re-register your vehicle online your payment goes to the State, if I go to my local motor vehicle office and re-register in person, the payment goes to the county. There is a significant amount of money that changes hand every year at the motor vehicle offices.

I am sure there are many more but this is all I can think of at the moment.