Posted on 01/13/2005 7:22:05 AM PST by Wolfie
City orders smokers to pay taxes on cigarettes bought online
NEW YORK (AP) The Finance Department has ordered smokers who bought tax-free cigarettes on the Internet to pay city taxes on their purchases.
The demands were made in letters mailed this week, The Daily News and The New York Post reported in Thursday editions.
"This is the first time we've done this," Finance Commissioner Martha Stark told the News. "It's part of a new, long-term effort to ensure we're enforcing the cigarette tax laws.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
Wouldn't this be under a federal jurisdiction? This is a bad idea. I think this would be hard to enforce.
Eventually the government ("We the people ...") will get around to classifying most, if not all citizens, criminals.
And the band played on.
LOL... have to find them first
Finding them doesn't seem to be a problem. They had one woman who got sent a bill for over $900.
Then they must be buying from the wrong place I guess. How did they know who bought what??
The city mailed letters to about 2,300 people whose names were obtained from the Web site Cigs4Cheap.com, which is no longer operating, the News said. The letters warned that recipients who failed to pay the back taxes would be penalized up to $200 for every carton purchased online.
Looks like a pretty good (legal?) extortion scam they've got going there.
Does the tax apply to just pre-rolled smokes, or are bulk tobacco/papers also taxed?
****It's part of a new, long-term effort to ensure we're enforcing the cigarette tax laws.*****
Who are they fooling. They want the revenue.
They raised the taxes till people bucked them now they think this will get them the money.
Close this blackmarket and another will open.
Its all part of a legalised plan to steal form smokers.
The people who passed the tax laws are killing the Golden Goose.
Well, I guess that answers that question.
I suppose the online "Privacy Policy" had the usual exceptions for court orders, etc. Anyway, it looks like the City's got about 2,300 people by the b*lls. Better pay up.
In 2002, New York City smokers began paying $1.50 in city tax on a pack of cigarettes _ up from the previous 8 cents a pack. Combined with a state tax increase, the cost of a typical pack of cigarettes in the city jumped to a nation-high $7.50.
Iowa's 30-something-cent tax seems miniscule by comparison.
My co workers orders his cigs from europe.
now we know why its no longer operating, the customers no longer trust it
here we go again.........
Did these brilliant financial wizards ever think of the consequences of raising the taxes so far out of line with reality? Of course not.
Sigh...........
Didn't Congress ban Internet sales taxes?
Politician's addicted to cigarette tax.
NY sued and won, a multi-million dollar judgement against one of the European online cigs place.
hmmmm, I think I have a new business idea.
First step towards more regulation of the internet, too. Lovely.
Thanks for the ping, Gabz. Good morning!
What is truly amazing is that we have a product that is legal in all 50 states, grown and produced in a dozen of them, warehoused and distbriuted nationdwide by 100,000 of thousands of merchants, and yet the Goverment of NY is so opressive that there is still a huge trade in smuggling it. Bizarre!
That's why you only buy cigs from Native Americans.
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