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Amazon.com begins collecting California Sales Tax
IX / XIV / MMXII | pansgold

Posted on 09/14/2012 7:41:00 PM PDT by pansgold

After years of being a member of Amazon.com, I just CLOSED MY AMAZON.COM ACCOUNT after they agreed to begin collecting sales taxes for this blood sucking state.

I'll continue online shopping from OUT OF STATE VENDORS and PAY ZERO state tax and get free shipping. I get what I want and Amazon.com and Calistan LOSE!


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: amazon; california; sales; tax; vanity
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Large gated South Florida homes
rented by Section 8 tenants


- Now your friendly Government pays all the rent
above 1/3rd of the new tenant's actual income.....

- but is actually tax dollars at work -



Sun Sentinel

Welcome to Obamastan!



41 posted on 09/14/2012 8:25:26 PM PDT by devolve (----- ------- ------------GO_AHEAD---MAKE_MY_SPAGHETTI-------- ----------------------------)
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To: Revolting cat!
...but I’ve been buying my photo and hifi equipment for decades from places like New York City, presumably high rent districts...

Yup,over the last couple of years I've done exactly that...about $8K worth of various electronic items from NYC (B&H,J&R,etc) which doesn't collect taxes on out of state shipments.But as I said,I report all such purchases on my state tax return,as required by state law,because I'm a *good* boy! ;-)

42 posted on 09/14/2012 8:25:32 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (If Obama's Reelected Imagine The Mess He'll Inherit!)
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To: Gay State Conservative
The bean counters will figure (literally) it out. If enough customers turn to direct website purchases, eBay, or sites like Craig's List and ad dollars drop low enough as their stock falls from the 4 year 22 dollar high of today, They’d sell their a$$ets to save their A$$es.
43 posted on 09/14/2012 8:26:14 PM PDT by pansgold
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To: pansgold

Yes, I notice typos all the time — proofreading is part of my daily job. Lots of writing on the Internet is replete with typos, and I pretty much stopped pointing out online spelling and grammatical errors years ago.

I had no idea you’re almost blind. If that’s the case, it’s understandable that cutting and pasting Internet text may be more challenging. I wasn’t seeking to quarrel with anyone this evening.


44 posted on 09/14/2012 8:29:12 PM PDT by FoxInSocks ("Hope is not a course of action." -- M. O'Neal, USMC)
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To: Gay State Conservative

Shares of Amazon reached an all-time high Thursday as investors bid up the stock in anticipation of the company’s announcement of additions to its Kindle tablet line (CNET’s live blog of the event starts at 10 a.m.). Amazon’s stock is up more than 43 percent for the year. In part, the stock is climbing on the assumption that gross profit margins are going to continue to increase. During Amazon’s second quarter, gross profits margins widened to 26.1 percent from 24.1 percent, which surpassed Wall Street’s expectations for the company. At least for now, that calmed the critics who pointed to the continuing heavy investments in marketing, infrastructure, and fulfillment.

SHORT THE STOCK!


45 posted on 09/14/2012 8:29:37 PM PDT by pansgold
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To: Gay State Conservative

If you go to Europe where they collect VAT on just about everything, collect your receipts and present them at the airport just before departure, they’ll refund all your VAT payments, because, why not, that is a civilized way of handling taxation. Why should I pay California sales tax on a purchase made in New York?


46 posted on 09/14/2012 8:31:33 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong!)
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To: pansgold
Here's the answer to all your tax questions. It may be a bit imprecise and allegorical, but it is the simplest thing I can come up with: foo stams!
47 posted on 09/14/2012 8:34:48 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong!)
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To: Revolting cat!; MinuteGal

Well, good luck. I love Amazon and will continue to buy from them. I unfortunately live in IL which is also going after Amazon to collect sales tax and at some point they may be forced into it by our State pols. So far, they have held off, but many states are after Amazon because it is a big money pot of revenue collection, and the lib states are all broke.

The states claim it is unfair competition with local businesses as an excuses, but local businesses don’t have to charge shipping like on-line and catalog businesses do, a giant point the pols fail to acknowledge. They just want the money, regardless of what it does to an on-line or catalog’s business bottom line. Less people shopping a website, like you because you are taking it out on the wrong entity, Amazon in this particular case, will eventually affect sales, and less business start-ups on the web, and thus less jobs for potential employees. A lose, lose situation.

You can leave Amazon, but soon the states will be forcing all on-line website businesses and catalog houses to collect sales taxes and there will be nowhere for you to go. People need to go after the Pols that are supporting such legislation, not the victim businesses that end up having to bend to their political will.


48 posted on 09/14/2012 8:35:53 PM PDT by flaglady47 (When the gov't fears the people, liberty; When the people fear the gov't, tyranny.)
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To: pansgold
It will not end there. The latest quest for bucks in cash-strapped states is to begin expanding the definition of economic nexus beyond bricks and mortar. There is pressure to impose regular business taxes on companies which have sales above a stipulated threshold. Imagine having to file multiple income tax returns and to pay taxes in states where you have never taken a breath.

Here's an article about this scheme. There is plenty more info available online. Apparently Washington State is gung-ho for this.

49 posted on 09/14/2012 8:37:37 PM PDT by Sgt_Schultze (A half-truth is a complete lie)
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To: bigbob

“the day is coming when online sales will be taxed just like any other”? Ever wonder what Article 1 Section 9 Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution says?

“No tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.


50 posted on 09/14/2012 8:38:26 PM PDT by pansgold
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To: pansgold

Apparently you refer to the misperception that the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from taxing Internet sales.
States have the power to tax their residents, even when the seller is located outside of the state and has no real connection with the state. What the Constitution restricts is the state’s ability to require an out-of-state seller to collect the tax. While the purchaser is still generally responsible for paying it, the rate of purchaser compliance is low. My point was that states will be more aggressive in finding ways to capture the use taxes that are going uncollected. The key issue is “nexus” and in the tangled legal evolution of Due Process and Commerce Clauses.


51 posted on 09/14/2012 8:54:31 PM PDT by bigbob
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To: bigbob

Apparently the lawyers and judges do. The Constitution was written in language the common man could understand.

Please allow me to diagram.

“No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.” - Article I, Section 9, Clause 5, U.S. Constitution

“No tax” sales tax IS a tax.
“shall be laid” added to the price of the item.
“on Articles” stuff bought online are articles.
“exported from any state” shipped across one’s state borders into another state.

“.” no exceptions.

A tax is a tax.


52 posted on 09/14/2012 9:00:26 PM PDT by pansgold
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To: BunnySlippers

The State of California did not “force them to do it.” They could have forced the issue in court as the Congress has consistently not gone along with these state attempts.

Instead, Amazon agreed to begin collecting sales tax, and began to build two large distribution facilities within the state. And guess what? As an incentive to Amazom caving, the state has agreed that Amazon will get to KEEP a percentage of the sales tax they collect for the next several years. Yes, Amazon will collect the full sales tax rate from its customers but will get to KEEP a significant portion of it for themselves.


53 posted on 09/14/2012 9:23:32 PM PDT by CdMGuy
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To: pansgold
Supplying server space to Julian Assange, promoting pedophilia and supporting homo marriage were acceptable but collecting state sales tax sticks in your craw enough to post a vanity about your decision, which you no doubt experienced great torment in reaching.

You're quite the principled one aren't you.

54 posted on 09/14/2012 9:52:10 PM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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To: pansgold
It's not complicated.
No matter where your company is located, a business is only required to charge and collect sales taxes in/for States they physically operate in.
Amazon would not have to charge and remit sales taxes to California, if they had no California based employees.

For tax cheats, it probably “feels” unfair that they have to pay State sales taxes on some products, but not others.
Call for a pizza delivery, and guess what! Sales tax.
Order something online, guess what!
You might have to pay a sales tax, if the place you ordered it from has an employee who conducts business in your state.
Either pay the tax, or buy the product elsewhere.

55 posted on 09/14/2012 10:38:09 PM PDT by sarasmom
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To: pansgold

The California Sales and Use Tax is imposed on taxable products USED in the state. It is not imposed on what is exported to another state or what is imported from another state. It is not imposed based on importation or exportation. It is based on use.

If a California resident purchases an item in California or in any other state for use in another state, that product is not subject to California sales or use tax.


56 posted on 09/15/2012 6:34:34 AM PDT by clockwise
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To: sarasmom

What part of “No” didn’t you understand?

Apparently the lawyers and judges do. The Constitution was written in language the common man could understand.

Please allow me to diagram.

“No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.” - Article I, Section 9, Clause 5, U.S. Constitution

“No tax” sales tax IS a tax.
“shall be laid” added to the price of the item.
“on Articles” stuff bought online are articles.
“exported from any state” shipped across one’s state borders into another state.

“.” no exceptions


57 posted on 09/15/2012 7:40:02 AM PDT by pansgold
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To: pansgold

Um, hello? Amazon didn’t want the tax. They were forced to command it by our screwed up state. Illegals need more freebies.


58 posted on 09/15/2012 7:41:25 AM PDT by Yaelle
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To: clockwise

just plain wrong.

used in the state has nothing to do with it.

that’s why it’s called a sales tax.

sold in the state to an in state resident is taxable.

it’s just in violation of the U.S. Constitution if any state adds any tax to any article exported from it’s state into any other state.


59 posted on 09/15/2012 7:44:24 AM PDT by pansgold
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To: Yaelle

I agree totally with you. Amazon didn’t want the tax but had to collect the state tax.

Amazon has warehouses and offices here in California and thus must charge California residents a sales tax.

My problem with Amazon is they are now going to charge California sales tax to it’s members that buy from sellers in another state.

In short, if a California resident goes to a website in Nevada and ordered a Widget directly from their website they will not be charge me California tax.

If that same company sells through Amazon.com, Amazon.com WILL charge California sales tax to California residents even though the Widget comes from Nevada.

I am not anti-sales tax however I am PRO Constitution AS WRITTEN.


60 posted on 09/15/2012 9:02:46 AM PDT by pansgold
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