The mystery has been solved — sort of.

The online giant Amazon.com Inc. remains tight-lipped about its expansion to Minnesota and why it must begin collecting sales tax starting Wednesday.

But tax registration permits obtained from the state Department of Revenue suggest that the company will be opening a data center and tech office here and not necessarily a fulfillment center.

Amazon Web Services and Amazon Digital Services, both listed with the same address in Amazon's hometown of Seattle, were the two entities who registered with the state to get a Minnesota tax ID effective Oct. 1.

But Ryan Brown, a spokesman for the Revenue Department, said that was the only public information from the filing.

Earlier this week, Amazon spokesman Ty Rogers said the company is considering "various opportunities" but declined to elaborate further.

That fueled speculation that, among other options, the retailer could be building a distribution center to roll out same-day delivery to Minnesotans, as it has done in a dozen other markets around the U.S.

Amazon Web Services is the non-retail arm of the firm. It provides remote computer services and a cloud computing platform that powers hundreds of thousands of businesses in 190 countries, including government agencies. It operates data centers around the world.

Amazon Digital Services is the electronic media arm of the company that includes e-books and digital music.

Rogers did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.

So while some mystery remains, one thing is clear: Amazon's Minnesota customers have just until late Tuesday to order tax-free from the company. □

Kavita Kumar • 612-673-4113