Posted on 04/17/2009 7:33:04 PM PDT by Comparative Advantage
If a little-known but influential alliance of state politicians, large retailers, and tax collectors have their way, the days of tax-free Internet shopping may be nearly over.
A bill expected to be introduced in the U.S. Congress as early as Monday would rewrite the ground rules for mail order and Internet sales by eliminating what its supporters view as a "loophole" that, in many cases, allows Americans to shop over the Internet without paying sales taxes.
Currently, Americans who shop over the Internet from out-of-state vendors aren't always required to pay sales taxes at the time of purchase. Californians buying books from Amazon.com or cameras from Manhattan's B&H Photo, for example, won't pay sales taxes at checkout time that they would if shopping at a local mall.
"We will have the bill ready for introduction by next Monday," said Neal Osten of the National Conference of State Legislatures. "We finalized the language and now we're working out the remaining issues and adding some new provisions at the request of various stakeholders."
This is hardly a new debate: pro-tax officials and state governments have been pressing Congress to enact such a law for at least seven years. They argue that reduced sales tax revenue threatens budgets for schools and police, and say that, as a matter of fairness, online retailers should be forced to collect the same taxes that brick-and-mortar retailers do.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.cnet.com ...
I'm moving to Texas and going underground.
No tax problems at all.
I see..., no buying of anything at stores any more, huh? [since they charge sales tax at those stores... :-) ... ]
We right-wing extremists have already stockpiled everything we need.
Well, I don’t know about you but I still eat out... LOL... (and they tax me there, too...), not to say anything about the tax that I gotta pay on gasoline... :-(
I stopped eating out when the smoking bans came into play.
not to say anything about the tax that I gotta pay on gasoline... :-(
I barter for gasoline / diesel.
Well..., fortunately for me, never have smoked... but really, I would take enough time out away from a cigarette for eating out... LOL...
It sounds more like you’re living more like a Texas Rattlesnake than a Texan... :-0
Sorry, I must be out of touch here, because you lost me on that one... :-)
My bad wrong thread, I will be making less purchases if this Internet tax is made reality...
I envy the rattlesnake. They have considerably more freedom than we do.
Well..., I’ll make sure I look twice before I shoot the next rattlesnake... :-)
Not to worry, this rattlesnake returns fire.
You haven’t seen me dancing yet... LOL...
Osten is responsible for federal state relations for the nation’s 50 state legislatures with regard to the regulation of the communications industries, including technology and advanced telecommunications concerns. He also staffs NCSL’s Executive Committee Task Force on State and Local Taxation of Telecommunications and Electronic Commerce. In this capacity, he has responsibility for sales tax simplifications, telecommunications tax reform, and business activity taxes.
Prior to joining NCSL, Osten served in the administration of President George Bush (the 41st) as director of the Office of Government Affairs and Public Information for Food and Consumer Services in the Department of Agriculture. Before joining the Bush administration, he was chief of staff for the assistant majority leader of the New York State Senate, Sen. Jay P. Rolison, Jr., of Poughkeepsie, and previous to that position, he was committee director for the Senate Banking Committee.
National Conference of State Legislators
NCSL’s mission is to improve the quality and effectiveness of state legislatures, foster interstate communication and cooperation, and ensure legislatures a strong, cohesive voice in the federal system.
Neal Osten
neal.osten@ncsl.org
(202) 624-5400
(202) 737-1069 fax
Amazon and eBay may become tax collectors
As states get less and less money from their tax bases, there is more pressure than ever to begin to take a piece of e-commerce sales. That could turn Amazon (AMZN) and Ebay (EBAY) into tax collectors — and make shopping online more expensive and less attractive.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/04/19/amazon-and-ebay-may-become-tax-collectors/
You haven’t seen me shooting yet.
This will strike a nerve, so I don’t see it happening. OK, they might try it, but they’ll be beaten back. Another highly visible political loss for Obama would be good for America.
Congress Looking to Allow States to Tax On-Line Sales
The days of buying online to avoid paying sales taxes may soon be over.
A bill is expected to be introduced to Congress this week that would force retailers like eBay and Amazon.com to start collecting sales taxes on behalf of states from people who shop online or through mail order.
It’s not a new effort: Attempts to close the online tax “loophole” have been going on for at least a decade.
But supporters of the bill think Congress may finally give in to their demands because of their own pressure to lend support to financially battered state governments.
“This would be fiscal relief for the states that wouldn’t require any money from the federal government,” said Neal Osten, a senior policy analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures, which is drafting the bill.
Osten pointed to a recent study that said state sales tax collections fell to their lowest levels in 50 years at the end of 2008.
http://www.kxmc.com/News/Nation/363351.asp
None of these geniuses has figured out yet to STOP SPENDING ALL THE MONOEY?!!! Instead, it’s tax, tax, tax and more tax!!!
If this happens I will only buy online from other countries. I hope Amazon moves offshore.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.