Senate advances bill to tax Internet sales

[GandD 5,966]

Well, then you're no Republican when it comes to money. They've not been as responsible as you seem to be.

Yeah no joke. I used to vote conservative because I'm big into less spending, balanced budgets, and financial stability/predictability in general. Republicans don't care about that anymore and Dems haven't in sometime. So now all I got are social polices. Technically I'm of the libertarian mindset for a lot of things. Let people do what they want as long as it doesn't affect me.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I don't understand the BFD here. Every online purchase for personal use I made in the last few years I was charged sales tax, at a half cent rate higher than the lower rate for living outside the city limits. Ebay is too lazy to make sure the appropriate sales tax is charged and collected for each purchase, because most of the sellers on Ebay are not reporting their sales as incomes anyways. So, rather than supporting a bunch of tax cheats, Ebay will just have to learn to deal with it. Any purchases I made on Ebay are for resale, so are tax-exempt for me anyways. If I could have found the items from my regular suppliers, I certainly would have bought from them, as buying anything from Ebay is a risky proposition, especially seeing as PayPal transactions are handled offshore, by some folks of questionable character.

[Teddy B 17,252]

I don't understand the BFD here. Every online purchase for personal use I made in the last few years I was charged sales tax, at a half cent rate higher than the lower rate for living outside the city limits. Ebay is too lazy to make sure the appropriate sales tax is charged and collected for each purchase, because most of the sellers on Ebay are not reporting their sales as incomes anyways. So, rather than supporting a bunch of tax cheats, Ebay will just have to learn to deal with it. Any purchases I made on Ebay are for resale, so are tax-exempt for me anyways. If I could have found the items from my regular suppliers, I certainly would have bought from them, as buying anything from Ebay is a risky proposition, especially seeing as PayPal transactions are handled offshore, by some folks of questionable character.

Is that a California thing? I've only ever been charged sales tax on an internet purchase made outside of Mass once. I don't remember which state the comapny was located in that charged me the tax, maybe AZ.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Is that a California thing? I've only ever been charged sales tax on an internet purchase made outside of Mass once. I don't remember which state the comapny was located in that charged me the tax, maybe AZ.

Yeah, it is a California thing. There is even a spot on the California income tax return where you are supposed to report any purchases you made where you didn't pay any sales tax.

[SMR 368]

I love how liberals throw arbitrary numbers at it like $1 million in sales and expect that makes everything okay. First off, that makes the whole leveling the playing field argument hypocritical at best. How about the company with $2 million in sales with a competitor with $1 million in sales? Does that sound like a level playing field to you? Can I create small subsidiary companies, each with $1 million or less in sales?

Second, $1 million in sales isn't really all that much. You count sales and it seems like a big number and then some schmucks figure that it's only going to be rich people and companies that have to deal with it so it's okay. Obviously your margins vary widely based on what market you are in, but many markets have single digit profit margins, pre-tax. So $1 million in sales can easily equate to a solidly middle class pay check. Add in a couple employees and you better be hitting $1 million in sales or you won't last long.

Moreover, if the bill gets implemented in this way, it creates a huge roadblock for growing a business beyond $1 million in sales. I mean, what do I actually do if I haven't been collecting sales tax all year and hit $1 million in sales sometime in November. Do I have to close up shop until next year? I can't well collect back sales taxes on past sales and I probably can't get enough sales in the last month to make it worth it to take the hit and remit all those taxes that I didn't collect. And then come January, I have to decide if I want to start collecting sales tax. My competitiveness will take a hit and maybe I won't even hit $1 million in sales and it will be all for naught.

In general, this is the larger problem with taxation in America. We realize that taxation is a burden but figure it's okay to screw over the people that 'can take it.' But then we argue about who exactly can take it and how much they can take and then everybody tries to make sure it doesn't include them. Obviously, there are some people that are so solidly above the line that they have no choice and it's not really worth it to them to try and pretend. But everybody in the middle ground is encouraged not to succeed.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Yeah, it is a California thing. There is even a spot on the California income tax return where you are supposed to report any purchases you made where you didn't pay any sales tax.

They get ya comin and goin.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

They get ya comin and goin.

Yep. Plenty of opportunity to pay your fair share. California rolls like that.

[duraaraa 203]

But it unscrews those that run a small brick and mortar business. It levels the playing field.

There is no reason those who run a small brick and mortar can't add an online shopping aspect to their store.

[Teddy B 17,252]

There is no reason those who run a small brick and mortar can't add an online shopping aspect to their store.

Why should a small brick and mortar company be forced into spending the extra money for internet sales simply because the internet companies figured a way around the tax laws? Why should internet companies be exempt from paying taxes like everyone else has been? The small brick and mortar stores have been doing things the right way for years, it's up to the newer internet companies to comply just like they have been.

BTW, did you see the part I posted where internet companies with less than a mllion in annual sales are exempt from this new law?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Yeah, it is a California thing. There is even a spot on the California income tax return where you are supposed to report any purchases you made where you didn't pay any sales tax.

Ditto for MA.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Ditto for MA.

Uh oh!

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Uh oh!

Once I was in NH and bought a hamburger from McDonald's from their dollar menu and I declared it on my state taxes.

[duraaraa 203]

Once I was in NH and bought a hamburger from McDonald's from their dollar menu and I declared it on my state taxes.

The fact that there are places where something that costs a dollar actually costs a dollar must make things so convenient. In California, it's never a dollar... it's always a dollar and eight or nine cents, meaning you get heaps of unnecessary coins back each time.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Once I was in NH and bought a hamburger from McDonald's from their dollar menu and I declared it on my state taxes.

I think it's exempt as long as you ate it before you crossed the state line back into Mass.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I think it's exempt as long as you ate it before you crossed the state line back into Mass.

I didn't want to take any chances. With my luck I'd be the first person imprisoned for not declaring an out of state purchase on my taxes.