Posted on 04/17/2008 10:45:50 AM PDT by weegee
The $0.99 that the iTunes Store charges for individual songs has taken on an almost iconic role in the field of music downloads, becoming what many consider the standard for fair pricing.
While the record labels have long lobbied for variable pricing, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has fought them to keep the rate flat across the board. But the price of some customers' music has already been threatened thanks to an entirely different source: state governments.
This week, a controversial proposal in the California State Assembly that would have extended the state's sales tax to include digital downloads of media such as books, movies, and music was narrowly defeated in a hearing of that body's budget committee. Introduced by Assemblyman Charles M. Calderon of the 58th District, Assembly Bill 1956 would have asked the California Board of Equalization, the body responsible for administrating taxes in the state, to draft a regulation to extend the law's definition of tangible property to include digital property...
(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...
Rock & Roll PING
Leave it to California to be the “Lewis & Clarke” of taxes! Always finding new ways, new items, new horizons to tax it’s people on. If you live in California, you’re a sucker of the 10th degree and deserve everything you get.
I live in Louisiana and I’m charged sales tax everytime I download a song from ITunes.
What rate? Louisana sales tax rate or California’s rate?
Does the company have a presence in your state?
If your state does not get the sales tax revenue, you should not be paying it.
I never could get Time-Lies-WB-Rhino to explain what the sales tax I was paying for “Rhino Handmade” was for. They did not charge me the Texas sales tax rate.
In California you are taxed even if you author software at your home. The screenwriting industry is exempted from that tax (it was targeted to get money from those who made say a million dollars working at home).
I don’t know which it is. It seems higher than the La. sales tax of 4%. How do I know if the state is getting the revenue or not. Most everything I buy on the internet charges me a sales tax. I guess that’s why I didn’t think anything special about this one. And how do I not pay it? If I click the button that I want to buy a certain song, they automatically deduct it from my credit card, which they have on file. They really don’t give me a choice.
Report the site to your state tax collector. If nothing else, Louisana should be getting their 4% of the transaction, at worst the seller will be prosecuted for tax fraud.
There. Fixed.
Capitol Office: State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0058 Tel: (916) 319-2058 Fax: (916) 319-2158 District Office: 13181 N. Crossroads Parkway Suite 160 City of Industry, CA 91746 Tel: (562) 692-5858 Fax: (562) 695-5852
No “new” internet taxes!
No Internet Taxes without Representation! Down with King Calderon!
From my recent receipt from iTunes.
Subtotal: $24.75
Tax: $1.98
Order Total: $26.73
man, i just stepped into this century this year with an ipod for christms and a cell phone last month and now they are wanting to tax it. as usual a day late and a tax dollor short.
thanks for the ping and continued music updates
I’d say these jackoffs tax my patience, but I don’t want to give them ideas....
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