And internet businesses like Amazon that contribute nothing directly to local economies (unlike bricks and mortar retail houses) might need extra tax to exist globally but operate locally.
Well, hold one. There's an entire supply chain that exists to get packages from point A to point B. Amazon parcels require shipping companies like FedEx and UPS to employ people in the communities to which they ship packages including truck drivers, workers at the FedEx or UPS branch offices, etc. Not to mention all the postage they send over USPS which of course keeps mail carriers employed. There's a long list of workers that benefit from this supply chain. So just because Amazon doesn't have a store front in a community does not mean that the community does not receive economic benefit from Amazon's existence.
"...Redmond's cloud and mobile strategies don't seem to be paying off."
This statement assumes that they actually have a strategy.
On second thought, they are making some money according to this URL. But 1bn a year is nothing compared to what Apple is making from iOS.
http://allaboutserver.net/google-android-revenue-now-running-at-1bn-per-year/
Kleeneness is next to Godelness.