( Taxachusetts ) State chases sales taxes in N.H.

Boston Globe ^ | February 3, 2009 | Jenn Abelson

[george76]

Massachusetts has ordered a tire chain to charge Bay State residents a 5 percent sales tax on their purchases in New Hampshire in an unprecedented move that could have huge implications for consumers and other merchants.

Town Fair Tire Centers, which is based in Connecticut but has six shops in New Hampshire and 25 in Massachusetts, is fighting back with a lawsuit now before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that accuses the state of violating the US commerce clause.

If Massachusetts prevails in the case, which is likely to be heard next month, it could drive up costs for consumers and retailers such as Best Buy and Sears that sell expensive home appliances and other goods in New Hampshire, which doesn't have a state sales tax. It also could mean millions of dollars in new tax revenue for the Commonwealth as it faces a $1.1 billion budget deficit...

it's a case of "Taxachusetts" striking back at the "Live Free or Die" pride of New Hampshire. The Granite State has long lured Massachusetts residents over the border to enjoy tax-free shopping.

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch has even gotten involved, kicking off a campaign one year to persuade Bay Staters to head north so they don't have to cram all of their shopping in when the Commonwealth decides to hold a three-day "sales tax holiday."

[cookiedough]

Massachusetts taxes purchases made out of state or on the internet — it is on the income tax forms. It is a use tax and it is the same rate as the sales tax.

[cookiedough]

The day comes that Mass does that is the day I either figure out how to disable the chip, or stop driving.

[an amused spectator]

You misspelled “Gay State”...

[an amused spectator]

Take it out in trade.

[an amused spectator]

When I said "take it out in trade", I meant something along the lines of sergeantdave's post:

File a lawsuit in small claims. Subpeona the head of the treasury in your state and the idiots at Dell. Your suit will tie up at least a dozen stupid bureaucrats and lawyers.