Internet sales tax embraced by no-tax Republicans (in Senate)

yahoo news ^ | 4/25/2013 | STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

[sickoflibs]

WASHINGTON (AP) — You don't see this very often: a majority of Senate Republicans voting to make people who buy stuff on the Internet pay state and local sales taxes.

The Senate could vote as early as Thursday on a bill to empower states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. Under the bill, the sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.

On Wednesday, the bill passed a test vote in the Senate, 74 to 23, with 27 Republicans voting in favor. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., vowed to pass the bill this week, before senators leave for a scheduled vacation.

"This is a matter of equity and fairness," said South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, a Republican. "The same people who are selling the same products should be paying the same taxes."

Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state. As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers an advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.

It is part of GOP orthodoxy to oppose higher taxes, a central issue that divides Democrats and Republicans. That's why the bill faces an uncertain fate in the House, where some Republicans regard it as a tax increase.

But supporters of the bill insist it is not a tax increase. Instead, they say, the bill merely provides states with a mechanism to enforce current taxes.

[Blood of Tyrants]

“This is a matter of equity and fairness,”

When was the last time that the word “fairness” appeared in a bill that didn’t screw the citizens?

[AppyPappy]

Oh, you are bad. Good bad.

[KC Burke]

You are right it is a temporary loop hole that was allowed to exist so that a new market model could get a toe hold and flourish. Two decades is enough.

Conservatives believe local government is best. Conservatives believe in federalism.
Having a local state tax that has faulty enforcement for a new market to emerge is one thing, but it does make states more dependent upon the federal money flow because part of the normal commerce that is occuring escapes taxes.

The state has less income from the commerce in the state and becomes more dependent or introduces NEW forms of taxes rather than what was approved.

We now have established national businesses that are killing the local retailers that employ local people. If the large internet monsters could exist off shore or in India to insure maximiziing profits they would.

I like local government that I can more easily control with my neighbors — I don’t like Federal Government. I like local services such as fire, police, sewer treatment, property and contract rights courts. I don’t like EPA, Department of Energy, and all the Federal bloat.

Why do we want to hamstring the local government and thereby create a void that the unlimited Federal Government can fill?

Taxes are “takings” I agree, but when the feds spend they aren’t limited by what is voted on — they just spend more money by printing it.

[from occupied ga]

As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers an advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.

This is of course an outright lie. Shipping charges add to the cost of on-line. Something that the tax suckers refuse to admit.

[sickoflibs]

Here in Maryland and in CA there is only one party running things now and its Dems and the states GOP/RINO parties cant stop anything from passing there.

So NO surprise they both and VA just raised a bunch of regressive taxes including sales taxes. That is where the money is.

What IS more surprising is that Senate RINOs are now supporting THIS bill to enforce that collection for internet out of state purchases because businesses are telling them too with their $$$$. Most of those Senators are very rich $$$$ too, they will fight against their taxes going up but not this on us.

We are nothing to the (Senate) GOP. Between this and amnesty I am pretty close to writing them off completely, not that they care.

[a fool in paradise]

I hear about “fair trade” coffee and tea leaves but never about free trade marketplace for technical skills.

[ncpatriot]

"But supporters of the bill insist it is not a tax increase. Instead, they say, the bill merely provides states with a mechanism to enforce current taxes."

No, it is a way to keep the gov't growing. The govt has enough money. DO NOT HAVE INTERNET SALES TAX

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The Internet is the one part of the economy Ubama has not been able to destroy.

He finally gets to change that!

[MortMan]

This is a knife in the back of internet retailers - it will force them to handle sales taxes for at least 50 government entities, whereas a brick and mortar business only requires they handle a single set of sales taxes, for the community in which they are physically located.

[stars & stripes forever]

We live in the country..don’t drive much

My sister is in the same situation caring for my elderly father. Small towns don’t have the many items that are on the internet and never will.

Suppressing the ability to buy & sell is a way to turn America into a third world country.

[KC Burke]

...whereas a brick and mortar business only requires they handle a single set of sales taxes, for the community in which they are physically located.

Every supply house and manufacturer that ships their products to end users outside their state or works outside their state has dealt with paying taxes to sales they make in those other states and has done so with normal accounting systems for generations.

A retail store with one location and over the counter sales is the exception rather than the rule.

[stop_fascism]

In Ca, Amazon has been charging sales tax since last year. I’m still more likely to buy on Amazon because of superior selection and convenience, it just costs me more, so I buy less.

This bill puts small businesses at a huge disadvantage. Amazon will not have a problem with transferring taxes to 50 states, but a Mom & Pop will.

The real solution is to tax using the Georgist model. But then, governments would have to function on what they earn on their contribution to society. They wouldn’t like that.

[SeminoleCounty]

Nothing demonstrates stupidity more than someone believing that the GOP is conservative

[AppyPappy]

States are already doing this on their own and it is causing a mess. I don’t agree with it but I see the reason for it.

[MortMan]

Having a local state tax that has faulty enforcement for a new market to emerge is one thing

My major issue with this approach is that it forces internet retailers to deal with at least 50 different sets of sales taxes, depending on the location of the customer. If local taxes are included, the number of sets of taxes could become exponentially larger. At brick-and-mortar, they have to deal with one set of sales taxes - for their store's location.

Closing this "loophole" makes internet retailing prohibitively expensive, with time and effort for distinguishing the various sales tax requirements and transmission of the collected money an unpaid government service to be provided by the seller. It does not "level the playing field" - it tilts it drastically in the opposite direction.

[stop_fascism]

Their salaries, benefits, and perks come from taxes they extort from citizens. Is it a surprise that most of them will vote for taxes.

Politics is like professional wrestling. The players pretend to be adversaries, but, really, they’re just actors trying to make a buck.

[Bender2]

Well, both my Texas Senators... voted 'Nay.' Yet a bunch of so-called Republicans voted 'Yea.'

Below you can pick out them sumbitches that turnedcoated on us:

YEAs -—74
Alexander (R-TN)
Baldwin (D-WI)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Burr (R-NC)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Coons (D-DE)
Corker (R-TN)
Crapo (R-ID)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Durbin (D-IL)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Graham (R-SC)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Hirono (D-HI)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kaine (D-VA)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Moran (R-KS)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Risch (R-ID)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Thune (R-SD)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wicker (R-MS)

NAYs -—23

Ayotte (R-NH)
Baucus (D-MT)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Cruz (R-TX)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heller (R-NV)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Kirk (R-IL)
Lee (R-UT)
McConnell (R-KY)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Paul (R-KY)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Tester (D-MT)
Toomey (R-PA)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 3

Cowan (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Warren (D-MA)

[RedMDer]

Free Republic stands for God and Country!!
Stand with Free Republic.

[MortMan]

And yet the retail store is the very example the pols use to explain why this must be done...

I cannot confirm or deny the supply house/manufacturer info you posted from my own experience. I was under the impression that the sales taxes enforced at that level would be those of the seller, not the buyer.

I’ve never worked at that end of the sales continuum.

[Kanzan]

One of our senators, Roberts, understands what a bad move this would be. Thanks for the ‘NO’ vote!