Posted on 08/03/2005 3:32:02 PM PDT by elkfersupper
"Smokers are always the easy, politically safe, no-backlash constituency to leech more money from," Kjono said.
Truer words than he realizes.
so you can sell porn on Ebay, just not smokes.
They don't call it the "Evergreen State" for nothing.
Pay up all you nicotine fiends.
Sounds to me like the man's privacy rights may have been violated. How did the state get his name and information from the company? Is that legal for the state to do?
There is a better way. Buy the cigarettes from a Internet site in a foreign country. If the site is registered to a company incorporated in, say, India, the state probably has no right to assess or collect taxes. The sale was made in India, not the state of Washington. The Indian corporation could tell the state that it has no jurisiction and simply refuse to comply with information requests. Even if the state filed suit in federal court it is doubtful they could make a foreign corporation comply. At least that is the argument that would be made in court of law.
Oddly enough, they're only going after tobacco, not other goods.
See #7
US Constitution:
Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;
I understand that some Internet companies agree to directly charge your bank account for each order. Therefore, sidestepping the necessity of using credit cards. Easy for the buyer to control the amount of money kept in a certain account. Again, the state would be SOL.
It may take a large and open revolt to straighten this out.
Well the thought also occurred to me that they can't levy a tax against this citizen because they could in no way prove that he was selling the cigarettes. Unless he was buying more than the allowed limit for the state to import without tarrif.
That's an interesting thought.
"There is a better way. Buy the cigarettes from a Internet site in a foreign country"
Problem is bootleg cigarettes.
The tax collectors vow to be relentless but deny that the primary motive is to collect the back taxes. The real purpose is to "educate people so they realize they're breaking the law."
Two words come to mind and it rhymes with bull shit.
WA cigarette tax ping
"Anyone found in possession of cigarettes without a washington state or state authorized stribal stamp is subject to a fine". Do have have cigarette police in the state walking around asking to see your pack? If both states have sales tax, would the state selling the product be subject to the sales tax not the out of state ?
Agreed, its all about money.
The goobermint thinks we're stupid. Unfortunately, for the most part, they are correct.
I agree.
Washington is just one of many states with an out of control tax system. My wife and I live in Idaho. She works in Washington, which has no state income tax. Idaho does, so of course we pay Idaho state tax. However, many people who love in Washington work in Idaho. And yes, they, too pay Idaho state income tax.
Now, it seesm to me it ought to be one or the other-you pay tax to the state you live in, but not work in, or vice versa.
As an aside, I was amused to discover that the Boston Tea Party was held because the tariffs went up to a whopping 5%! That would be a steal these days...
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