Posted on 02/16/2010 10:07:07 AM PST by rabscuttle385
Legislation requiring online retailers to collect Virginia's 4.5 percent sales tax -- the so-called "Amazon Bill" -- easily cleared the Virginia Senate this morning and is headed to the House of Delegates, where opponents hope it falls prey to that chamber's hostility to taxes.
Senate Bill 660, by Republican Emmett W. Hanger Jr. of Augusta, was approved, 28-12.
The measure is a priority among traditional, bricks-and-mortar retailers, who say they can't compete with online businesses that currently don't have to collect the tax on Virginia sales. Foes say the legislation is a jobs-killer; that it would force Internet businesses here to close.
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.timesdispatch.com ...
LET THE NOVEMBER RINO HUNT BE A SMASHING SUCCESS!
McDonnell had better veto this garbage if it somehow passes the House of Delegates.
Any RINO — anywhere — that supports such legislation automatically loses my vote.
I see the day where all internet sales will be taxed.
And NO I don’t want to see the day but local interests will push the issue to get their fair (unfair) share of taxes from sales.
My state is on the honor system right now - and I do keep track. Comes to about $30 +/- a year. Saved a whole lot more than that by driving out to get the items.
Taxes for WHAT?!? Vermont provides nothing to Amazon to operate their internet business, so how can they expect to take a cut of each sale? The roads used to deliver the merchandise are maintained through fuel taxes, right?
I am republican and conservative, but I agree with this sales tax bill, even though it will cost me money.
One step closer to Internet “regulation”. Nose under the tent, next thing you know Google will be teaming up with the NSA to keep tabs on FReepers.
So how is this different from the 4.5% sales tax that Virginians pay for non-internet purchases?
If anyone doesn’t understand what this is about, just watch a bunch of pigs at a feeding trough. There are far more than enough buyers for both kinds of vending, Some people will not buy online, probably more than those who do. The bricks and mortar guys are just like those pigs. They want it first, most and all if possible.
I sure Amazon could remedy this real easy if this passes. Then Virginia will be out both sales tax revenue and the hundreds of jobs that Amazon takes when it moves it's "physical presence" from Virginia.
Democrats have a small majority in the VA Senate. How many aye votes were Republican? Just curious as to exact number of RINOs.
What the hell do republicans not understand about NO MORE TAXES.
Senator Steve Martin, arguably one of the most conservative voices in the Senate, voted for this bill, and said that it had substantial business support.
Senator Martin said this on his Facebook page:
I just voted for sb660 (passed 28-12). Some will represent it as a tax increase but it is not. It is a compliance/equity issue. I oppose a new tax on internet purchases, but where the nexus already exists with the entity selling the product having a physical presence in VA, the sales tax is supposed to already be collected and remitted, just as my retail constituents must do. This bill clarifies to assure compliance.
It is only a clarification as what qualifies as a dealer/agent of a sale (as if it wasn't already clear). It would only bring in $17 million more and the list of pro-business, small business, chamber, etc. groups that support it is huge. I hate to disappoint the 2-3 conservative groups that intended to exploit this as being a tax increase, but it is not. If it were not an equity/compliance issue, I would have voted "no" out of a desire to force more spending cuts. But, the present practices by some businesses is unjust and already a violation of law.
I'm not sure I agree with him. But Steve is definitely no RINO, not in anyone's world.
>So how is this different from the 4.5% sales tax that Virginians pay for non-internet purchases?<
Ever heard the term, “shipping”? You don’t pay a separate fee for it when you walk into Wal-Mart, but you sure pay it when you shop Amazon, eBay or any other internet business.
But you generally DO pay tax on shipping if you have something shipped, even if it's from a physical store to your home, so long as its going through a commercial shipper. Apples and apples.
I think the main problem for those who are complaining about this bill is that they're essentially asking the government to continue to give preference to one set of retailers (internet-based) over another set (bricks and mortar). That's a problem, from an "equality under the law" perspective. We'd complain if it was Obama using the power of government to give a set of his cronies in one business advantages over their competitors, yet because it's framed here as a "tax" issue, suddenly we have no problem with essentially doing the same thing.
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