The Interwebs Sales Tax

[JohnnySavage]

What a stupid idea.

I say that as someone who buys 90% of his stuff on-line.

If I have to pay an extra 6% on top of shipping, I might as well bite the bullet and leave the house to get my stuff.

Maybe killing on-line commerce is the goal though. Wally-mart has some powerful lobby peoples.

 

[blackleggings]

Do you buy groceries online?

 

[JohnnySavage]

Do you buy groceries online?

Just the heavy stuff like bottled water, dog food and cat litter. Sometimes I go the full monty and buy all the groceries on line, but I actually like to go to the Piggly Wiggly and look at all the food. I just don't like to get it from the store to my pantry. We aren't allowed to have bags here in MoCo (well, you are, but you have to pay a nickle for them (and its a matter of principle)).

 

[ryan8558]

What a stupid idea.

I say that as someone who buys 90% of his stuff on-line.

If I have to pay an extra 6% on top of shipping, I might as well bite the bullet and leave the house to get my stuff.

Maybe killing on-line commerce is the goal though. Wally-mart has some powerful lobby peoples.

But it's delivered to your door and you don't have to stand in line behind stupid people being checked out by a person that has trouble cleaning their scanner. Online purchases are still worth it to me.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

It will kill the USPS.

I already pretty much stopped buying books from Amazon, because of their surrender to WAL-MART over the sales tax.

I now buy used books from the thrift stores. I pay the sales tax but no shipping. Most of the time I pay 50 cents for a book NOT Amazons $4 charge.

 

[MatthewVett]

What a stupid idea.

I say that as someone who buys 90% of his stuff on-line.

If I have to pay an extra 6% on top of shipping, I might as well bite the bullet and leave the house to get my stuff.

Maybe killing on-line commerce is the goal though. Wally-mart has some powerful lobby peoples.

Wow, you poor baby, having to pay taxes in order to enjoy the benefits of society. I weep for you.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Our resident assclowns always assume that every government tax and expenditure are used to fund angels and orphans rather than crack whores and gangstas.

 

[Liar]

If there's to be sales tax at all, why should Internet sales, essentially mail order, be exempt?

 

[evesdream]

What a stupid idea.

I say that as someone who buys 90% of his stuff on-line.

If I have to pay an extra 6% on top of shipping, I might as well bite the bullet and leave the house to get my stuff.

Maybe killing on-line commerce is the goal though. Wally-mart has some powerful lobby peoples.

This seems unwieldy and silly. Only web-stores based in the US would be required to collect the tax right? You're probably right about where the lobby is coming from.

Are we ranting here? USPS has already been throttled to the point of raising shipping costs very significantly this year. Getting orders from the US suddenly costs an arm and a leg in shipping and I've started looking harder for local versions of stuff I want because of it.

If there's to be sales tax at all, why should Internet sales, essentially mail order, be exempt?

Online retailers already pay the traditional taxes.

 

[JohnnySavage]

If there's to be sales tax at all, why should Internet sales, essentially mail order, be exempt?

It's a state tax. Theoretically, residents are required to pay sales taxes on stuff they buy, even if it's from another state. For example, people in Maryland (6% sales tax) typically wait for the "Back to School" sales tax holiday in DC to go buy school stuff with no DC sales tax. But... they are supposed to pay 6% to Maryland when they bring the stuff back into the state. Realistically, nobody does that.

This Bill is designed to allow states the power to collect tax from merchant's selling stuff on the internet, who would normally be outside their jurisdiction. That is, Maryland has no authority to collect tax from a merchant physically located in California. This bill would give Maryland that authority so the merchant would have to send the 6% directly to the State of Maryland instead of Maryland relying on the resident to do it.

 

[BotanyBoy]

Ohhh christ all fucking mighty the paperwork...bet ya that get's shitty real fast.

Anyone doing inter webs sales is going to need an accounting staff in order to ship to all 50.

Practically SLAUGHTERING small business's ability to use the internet as a market place and they can't compete sitting right next door to "Wal-Mart" or some other uber corp.

Hey....if the shoe fits...

 

[Wings]

No tax on clothing and food in MN. For now.

That is why I don't do all my shopping online, cheaper for me to drive to the MoA

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

This seems unwieldy and silly. Only web-stores based in the US would be required to collect the tax right? You're probably right about where the lobby is coming from.

Are we ranting here? USPS has already been throttled to the point of raising shipping costs very significantly this year. Getting orders from the US suddenly costs an arm and a leg in shipping and I've started looking harder for local versions of stuff I want because of it.



Online retailers already pay the traditional taxes.

Exactly. Its gonna kill USPS.

 

[MatthewVett]

Ohhh christ all fucking mighty the paperwork...bet ya that get's shitty real fast.

Anyone doing inter webs sales is going to need an accounting staff in order to ship to all 50.

Practically SLAUGHTERING small business's ability to use the internet as a market place and they can't compete sitting right next door to "Wal-Mart" or some other uber corp.

Hey....if the shoe fits...

You do know that businesses are exempted until they have $1 million in yearly sales, right? And that states are required to provide free software to the businesses to calculate the taxes?

 

[BotanyBoy]

You do know that businesses are exempted until they have $1 million in yearly sales, right?

Nah...that's new to me, right on, where do I send the "Thanks for the reach around" card??

And that states are required to provide free software to the businesses to calculate the taxes?

Right on...though I doubt it is free.

 

[RjThoughts]

Why are people bitching and complaining? This will allow state coffers to fill up with revenue that ordinarily wouldn't be there.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Why are people bitching and complaining? This will allow state coffers to fill up with revenue that ordinarily wouldn't be there.

For the widows and orphans, right? Or maybe a few more special interest ratholes?

 

[evesdream]

It's a state tax. Theoretically, residents are required to pay sales taxes on stuff they buy, even if it's from another state. For example, people in Maryland (6% sales tax) typically wait for the "Back to School" sales tax holiday in DC to go buy school stuff with no DC sales tax. But... they are supposed to pay 6% to Maryland when they bring the stuff back into the state. Realistically, nobody does that.

This Bill is designed to allow states the power to collect tax from merchant's selling stuff on the internet, who would normally be outside their jurisdiction. That is, Maryland has no authority to collect tax from a merchant physically located in California. This bill would give Maryland that authority so the merchant would have to send the 6% directly to the State of Maryland instead of Maryland relying on the resident to do it.

Do people really use online shopping to avoid regional sales taxes? Doesn't the shipping cost offset that?

 

[Laurel]

Do people really use online shopping to avoid regional sales taxes? Doesn't the shipping cost offset that?

I don't know about other people. I've never thought about the sales tax issue. I buy nearly everything online because it's convenient and I'm a Lazy McLazyhead.

I suspect you're right on most purchases. However, if you're an Amazon Prime customer, you do get free shipping on nearly everything.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Do people really use online shopping to avoid regional sales taxes? Doesn't the shipping cost offset that?

No shipping fee is the sales price is high enough.

 

[BotanyBoy]

Why are people bitching and complaining? This will allow state coffers to fill up with revenue that ordinarily wouldn't be there.

Well how about we give our lovely gubbmint a good healthy Audit and see what kinda bacon we can trim off....OH NO NOT THAT JUST TAX MORE!!!

Do people really use online shopping to avoid regional sales taxes? Doesn't the shipping cost offset that?

Depends on what your buying, it's value, how much of it and what shipping cost are vs driving across town or w/e to go pick it up locally.

Sometimes it's a landslide winner for the interwebs, might only be worth it if you buy in bulk, sometimes it's a wash or even cheaper for local. A penny saved is a penny earned people...do ya homwerks n' shit k?? It's the only way to not get fucked!!

 

[Sean]

Maybe it might help to keep one more local bookstore from going under. It's worth it just for that.

 

[BotanyBoy]

No shipping fee is the sales price is high enough.

Depends on the size man...buy a 5,000 guitar yea you're getting free shipping.

You buy a 90,000 Dooley F-9500000000000 Pickup they are going to tag you for 1500 bucks.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Maybe it might help to keep one more local bookstore from going under. It's worth it just for that.

For the high prices and lame assclowns who work in it?

 

[bluegypsy]

For me, it's an issue of providing a level playing field for local businesses. Yes, I can probably buy a digital camera cheaper on Amazon, even with shipping costs factored in. But I'd rather support the local guy, because he's contributing to the health and vitality of my community. And the local guy is getting killed by Amazon because people are too cheap to pay the state sales tax and/or too lazy to get off the couch. (He's also getting killed by Wal-Mart because he can't possibly compete on that scale.)

State sales taxes pay for, among other things, road maintenance (at least in my state). And those FedEx and UPS trucks delivering your Amazon packages are hell on local infrastructure. Shop where you want, folks, but realize that nothing is free. You're going to pay the price one way or another.