Posted on 04/25/2013 5:55:21 AM PDT by sickoflibs
WASHINGTON (AP) — You don't see this very often: a majority of Senate Republicans voting to make people who buy stuff on the Internet pay state and local sales taxes.
The Senate could vote as early as Thursday on a bill to empower states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. Under the bill, the sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.
On Wednesday, the bill passed a test vote in the Senate, 74 to 23, with 27 Republicans voting in favor. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., vowed to pass the bill this week, before senators leave for a scheduled vacation.
"This is a matter of equity and fairness," said South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, a Republican. "The same people who are selling the same products should be paying the same taxes."
Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state. As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers an advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.
It is part of GOP orthodoxy to oppose higher taxes, a central issue that divides Democrats and Republicans. That's why the bill faces an uncertain fate in the House, where some Republicans regard it as a tax increase.
But supporters of the bill insist it is not a tax increase. Instead, they say, the bill merely provides states with a mechanism to enforce current taxes.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
That is incorrect. ATR and Grover Norquist are strong opponents of the bill.
watch for off-shore internet sales in Hong Kong, Bermuda....
Rubio (R-FL)
Toomey (R-PA)
Both “Nays,” huh? Trying to salvage some “conservative” cred, I see. That barn door was left open so long even the snails escaped.
I’m sorry! Thankyou. Too early....too tired, going back to bed!
Should have read: ATR/Norquist is not at all for this bill.
Americans for Tax Reform : Tell Congress: No Internet Sales Tax
“Rubio (R-FL)
Toomey (R-PA)”
“Both “Nays,” huh? Trying to salvage some “conservative” cred, I see. That barn door was left open so long even the snails escaped.”
Exactly...throw the base a bone, just like Norquist/ATR..which when you think about it is rather strange, since ATR/GOP is supposed to be for business...local biz has to pay the tax, how does online get exempt?
Perhaps but if you owned a brick and mortar store and you saw your sales declining because people were using the Internet to avoid sales taxes that your customers have to pay, you may be a tad perturbed.
Something else the politicians are shoving down the throats of Americans.
The GOP is co-opted by leftist leadership.
Today’s republicans are the democrats of 1992
Today’s democrats are the Weather Underground of 1972
All politicians are the problem who offer no real solutions, only more problems.
Yup.
Especially here in Wyoming, where we have no state income taxes and the state and counties depend on sales taxes for funding government.
Ad valorem taxes can’t support the entire budget, and we’re more fiscally conservative as a state than most others. The Dakotas are perhaps the only other states that are as tight with the taxpayer’s dollar as we are.
And given the political donation patterns of eBay employees, executives and managers (ie, overwhelmingly to the Democrats - I checked in the 2012 cycle, it was about 5:1 for the DNC), destroying eBay is bad because...?
‘Fair’ is very subject term that is the progressive’s politically loaded justification term for everything they propose passing.
“fair’ polls well which is why they use it.
The GOP could use this to pounce on Dems as middle and lower class tax raisers but their business master's demand that they join in on it w Dems. This and amnesty are where they lose me completely. The failed Toomey bill would have had zero effect on me, but this will raise my taxes.
Will Bohner pass this with Pelosi votes? That is the question.
Actually, most internet retailers don’t do their own shopping cart or other financial mechanics of retailing. That’s a module or outsourced service they wire into their web site.
Same deal for the shipping charges.
That’s what makes ‘net retailing so fast and easy to set up. You can outsource the complications that used to take so much time to other providers that specialize in these matters and really know their subject area.
the state in which you live will those sales taxes you pay when you shop at amazon under this. They own you.
The ecconomic world is flat.
There is no reason to source materials from a high tax state.
In fact now is the best time to screw the politicians and simply find sources outside the states.
For example why buy at best buy when you can buy direct and tax free from outside the usa.
The bill, as currently written, kicks in only above $1 mil in sales to states where the retailer has no physical presence.
True enough.
I’m a selfish bastard so I probably would and in think I would be in the wrong. To increase a burden already so high is immoral to me, even in the interests of fairness.
Our tax system is very convoluted and effed up.
Why not pass a bill that every consumer purchase must be done over the internet. No more brick and mortar stores and a cut back in driving. Think of the HUGE impact that would have on the greening of America and the reduction of our carbon footprint.
As a side benefit, with all things traveling by mail, the US Post Office might turn a profit!!
this is a political solution looking for a problem it created.
The goal is to have business begging congress for a uniform tax across the country.
Where is the house on this?
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