Trump Attacks Amazon, Saying It Does Not Pay Enough Taxes

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spoke out against Amazon on Thursday, saying that the online behemoth does not pay enough taxes and uses the U.S. postal system “as their Delivery Boy.”

The president’s commentary, made in a Twitter post, comes amid reports that Trump has expressed an interest in reining in the e-commerce business.

“I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the Election,” Trump wrote. “Unlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state & local governments, use our Postal System as their Delivery Boy (causing tremendous loss to the U.S.), and are putting many thousands of retailers out of business!”

Amazon and the company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, are among Trump’s regular Twitter targets. In December, Trump questioned whether the U.S. Post Office charges Amazon enough for package deliveries. And in August, Trump said Amazon hurts taxpaying businesses.

Amazon, however, does pay taxes — $412 million in 2016, for instance, according to the company’s report to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The media company Axios reported Wednesday that Trump has wondered aloud whether Amazon could be vulnerable to antitrust or competition laws. Amazon shares fell almost 5 percent following that Axios article, Reuters reported.