Overlooked is the fact that online sales save billions of gallons of gasoline as a ups truck delivering packages is 100 times more efficient than millions of drivers driving to the mall to buy stuff.

Of course the states will now charge a UPS tax to make up for the lost gasoline taxes, but the govt. should be happy about less imported oil, less traffic congestion, and less air pollution that comes with online sales.

But if you purchase something online from an out-of-state store it is interstate commerce and nontaxable according to the US Constitution.

I prefer internet and catalog purchases as I save a lot of money even with the postage. 7% sales tax, plus 5% state income tax, and Federal income taxes really tick me off.

non-taxable?

Even if you purchase something mail order or through the Internet, your state most likely requires you to pay use tax.

Major retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target, Gateway and Gap, have agreed to collect the tax.

Um, if they have a physical presence in the state they have to collect sales tax anyway...I'm not sure what is different here.

Not to mention the cost to the state and city of road maintenance and improvements, traffic control, water and sewer, electrical infrastructure and so forth for the brick-and-mortar store, and the external cost of traffic accidents.

Until the tax-everything crowd accounts for these costs in their oh-so-sad ''lost revenue'' whinings, they are either innumerate or hypocritical, or both.

They're at it again.

I wonder if anyone thought that by continually increasing sales and "sin" taxes they are forcing people to find other means of making purchases.

Of course the idea of lowering any of those taxes to reasonable rates, thus increasing the chances of collecting more has never crossed any of their pea brains.

Many states have a use tax that parallels exactly the sales tax. That being said, if you buy something via catalog or online or over the phone from another state, and get it shipped to Idaho, Idaho wants its use tax (currently 6%). Idaho cannot collect the sales tax because the transaction didn't take place in Idaho, but it can collect the use tax.

Well, I am sick and TIRED of the lawmakers trying to burden smokers with balancing their damn programs. Which need to be done away with anyway, because half of their programs are nothing but PORK!

And if they want to tax the sale of tobacco products over the Net, like I have said many times in the past THEY BETTER START WITH THE ONLINE AUCTIONS FIRST!

They can't SEE straight when it comes to singling out people who choose to buy a legal product. AND they can't get it through their stupid heads that when they raise taxes on a product so high, that we are NOT going to just take it.

It's the American way to shop cheap. Therefore..........we buy from where we can find the best deal. Be that in our own state or off of the Internet where we can buy a legal product that is reasonably priced and have some money left over for FOOD! I'm sick of it. And I am sick of THEM!

Isn't it funny how government just can't seem to "find" enough money without coming up with creative taxation?

Government will take your last dime unless WE stand up and oppose them.

Government will take your last dime unless WE stand up and oppose them.

It's KILLING them, GirlyGirl, that they can't get into this Internet and STICK IT TO US. But I can't understand how they think they can even begin to do this, since the Internet covers the whole globe! I am sure several of them are behind closed doors though, working to find a way. I'm sure we can count on it! They just can't keep their grubby hands out of the very people who put them into office.

And this covers Republicans AND DemocRATS alike! It covers everyone in all walks of life that use the Net.

Government will take your last dime unless WE stand up and oppose them.

I've tried and tried to oppose them over the years! They always have some cock and bull story. They sure know learn how to SPIN once they get into office, believe me!

I don't really mean on a personal level, but Americans as a whole need to oppose the constant attempt to tax us into the poorhouse where we will all be even more dependant on government.

I don't really mean on a personal level, but Americans as a whole need to oppose the constant attempt to tax us into the poorhouse where we will all be even more dependant on government.

It has become way out of hand and over the top. I know here in Maine, the DemocRATS have so many "pet programs" and in order to keep them, to which are useless, as we all know, they just want to tax this and tax that to keep their little useless programs going.

I don't know what the answer is.......they lie to you until they are blue in the face to get our votes. But once in office, they stick it to us. We write letters.....we call them......most have gotten so sneaky that they use Automated Emails. To which we know where OUR emails go......right to the DELETE basket.

You call their office, you get some little secretary that "takes a message." Oh yes, they sure have become a devious bunch of no-gooders.

You are RIGHT!

Talk hosts that many of us listen to are begining to throw up their hands. They are saying that since the GOP owns DC, government has grown much larger, rather than smaller as we all expected.

I hear them say regularly that voting is not all that we should do in order to bring about real change.

I too am frustrated with the lack of real change in the mindset in DC though we've worked very hard to gain control, and we did just that, with not neraly the results we all hoped for.

The day will come when we will so wish we had that much control in DC again.

GW is ok, but he's not a Ronaldous Magnus.

That leaves it to Iowans to voluntarily submit the tax, but many consumers are unaware of the obligation, Ralston said.

The state won't track down consumers for a $2 check for $40 worth of books they purchased at Amazon.com, he said. But if Iowans want to come clean, it's as easy as listing your out-of-state purchases, calculating a 5 percent tax and submitting a check.

Doesn't everyone keep track of their out of state purchases, calculate their use tax, and send it in? Sales tax in the county I live in is 8.25%, pretty hefty. It just breaks my heart to think that the state gov isn't squeezing collecting every penny from their residents that it is "entitled" to. *sob*

Notice, they are not crying over peoples health due to their continued smoking, just the taxes they are losing.

Good point!