JustACitizen
New Member
Your mom is busy "down there" just now. Perhaps I can test that a bit later on.
Internet Sales Tax
- Thread starter GURPS
- Start date
Your mom is busy "down there" just now. Perhaps I can test that a bit later on.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
JustACitizen
New Member
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
While I am not for this, you are incorrect as you pay taxes in your district and you have representation in that district.
It would make more sense to be required to pay the sales tax to the state/locality the retailer is located in, just like driving to Pennsylvania and buying something there.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
If I may ...
Ok. May have erred a bit. Those companies, if they have no presence at all in any given state, should not be able to force them to collect sales taxes. Interstate commerce violation? Also, how is it possible, if a company is doing nothing other than taking an order, finalizing a sale, and tendering a shipment to UPS, FedEx, or whomever, is responsible for, and forced to collect, sales taxes of another state in which they do not live in or operate a business from? How can that possibly be legal? What happened to each state being its own sovereign entity? How can a State, allow another State to force one of its citizens to do something against their will? I do not see this fight ending at this ruling. There will be some enterprising folks that will challenge this from a different angle.
Ok. May have erred a bit. Those companies, if they have no presence at all in any given state, should not be able to force them to collect sales taxes. Interstate commerce violation? Also, how is it possible, if a company is doing nothing other than taking an order, finalizing a sale, and tendering a shipment to UPS, FedEx, or whomever, is responsible for, and forced to collect, sales taxes of another state in which they do not live in or operate a business from? How can that possibly be legal? What happened to each state being its own sovereign entity? How can a State, allow another State to force one of its citizens to do something against their will? I do not see this fight ending at this ruling. There will be some enterprising folks that will challenge this from a different angle.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
Some of it is protectionism of brick and mortar businesses and some of it is just the greed of the entities that get the taxes. There are quite a few counties and cities that add an additional sales tax on, that makes the entire thing a nightmare for eCommerce businesses.
Like I said it would just make more sense if they collected the tax for the place the business is located in.
FWIW I was on BHPhoto's site today and real prominent it says $0.00 in tax collected outside of NY and NJ. Then you click for more info you get
JustACitizen
New Member
Sounds like you didn’t bother to read the actual SCOTUS ruling.
Same here in Fl. We have three in state. Before I order, I can usually find another location that is not in Fl, but sometimes, and now all the time, we gotta eat it.
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
You know - it does seem to me that basically - you should have to pay state sales tax for things purchased online.
I'm just not sure how it ought to work. If I have a store in Maryland, and someone buys something in my store - they pay Maryland sales tax.
It seems to me if they THEN go home and buy the SAME THING online - they should still pay Maryland sales tax.
Some of the current definitions of who should and shouldn't - muddy the waters.
If I drive up to Pennsylvania to buy a pizza from my favorite pizzeria - or drive to Philly to buy a cheese steak from one of their best places -
I'm going to pay sales tax (yes, they tax ready to eat food). I can also order this stuff online - I think it's fair to pay the same tax.
Where it gets complicated is, when you buy something online from a company that is literally everywhere.
When it's Wal-Mart - well, they're everywhere. What tax should be done, then? You can order it from Wal-Mart and they can put on a *Maryland* tax -
but - it's probably not originating in Maryland.
You can say, well, then, no tax at all. But all that does is throw the entire commerce in the direction of large companies that can
put themselves anywhere - and chokes small companies that MUST have a physical presence - and are punished for it.
I'm just not sure how it ought to work. If I have a store in Maryland, and someone buys something in my store - they pay Maryland sales tax.
It seems to me if they THEN go home and buy the SAME THING online - they should still pay Maryland sales tax.
Some of the current definitions of who should and shouldn't - muddy the waters.
If I drive up to Pennsylvania to buy a pizza from my favorite pizzeria - or drive to Philly to buy a cheese steak from one of their best places -
I'm going to pay sales tax (yes, they tax ready to eat food). I can also order this stuff online - I think it's fair to pay the same tax.
Where it gets complicated is, when you buy something online from a company that is literally everywhere.
When it's Wal-Mart - well, they're everywhere. What tax should be done, then? You can order it from Wal-Mart and they can put on a *Maryland* tax -
but - it's probably not originating in Maryland.
You can say, well, then, no tax at all. But all that does is throw the entire commerce in the direction of large companies that can
put themselves anywhere - and chokes small companies that MUST have a physical presence - and are punished for it.
black dog
Free America
It's not when you go to Pennsylvania and buy a pizza it's when you order a pizza from Pennsylvania and have it delivered to Maryland. Why should one then pay Pennsylvania taxes..
Another question would be are these companies that collect 4-8% sales tax actually giving it to the state or occasionally adding to the profit margin..
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
Funny you should mention that, I went to high school with a guy that owned a small used car lot, he got caught doing something that sounded a lot like that, in addition to not actually paying off the loans of the cars that were traded into him.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
Oddly enough - I was thinking of an ACTUAL place that ships across the country, but they have one location - in Pennsylvania.
Do you suppose it is fair then, that a customer can walk in and pay Pennsylvania tax - they could DRIVE there, buy it, pay Pennsylvania tax -
BUT they could have it delivered 100 feet away from the store - and pay NO tax? 100 miles from the store - pay no tax.
This is a case that to me does seem cut and dried - they have exactly one location - so it seems fair to me you'd pay the same tax as you
would if you yourself were the delivery service - if you drove there and picked it up.
black dog
Free America
The delivery service is just a broker, a shipping broker.
So if I'm ordering materials as a non exempt company tax will be paid twice on the same materials in a short amount of time.
If I order steel from out of state and pay tax on it and I sell what was built in a week that steel was double taxed. So in order to bypass that I have to now be an exempt company and just added more work for the book keeper / accountant.
Doing this will add a unnecessary burden on small and medium sized business.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
If I may ...
It is fair to pay a sales tax when in another state because you are using their government "services", using their roads etc. There is no such use when having something delivered from out of state. What there is now is an import tax upon the businesses shipping an order to another state in which they have no presence under the guise of a sales tax. That is unconstitutional.
It is fair to pay a sales tax when in another state because you are using their government "services", using their roads etc. There is no such use when having something delivered from out of state. What there is now is an import tax upon the businesses shipping an order to another state in which they have no presence under the guise of a sales tax. That is unconstitutional.
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
See, when I go to Canada - I save my receipts - and I don't pay Canadian taxes. Any of them.
I'm not Canadian - thank God.
I assume that state taxes are levied against commerce done in their state - period.
This would be why if you're from Virginia and you buy gas before you cross the Nice Bridge -
well that would be stupid, but - you don't get reimbursed the taxes because you happen to be a resident of Virginia.
Too damned bad.
And I did state before - what's to keep people from ordering merchandise WITHIN their own state - in fact,
a brick and mortar place they can actually walk to - and avoid paying tax?
What happens to the entire purpose of sales tax if everyone can just buy stuff online - and even pick it up themselves?