Posted on 11/15/2018 10:44:20 AM PST by Galatians328
Big-box retailers such as Walmart, Target, Meijer, Menards, and others are suing small-town assessors and high-court judges to accept the novel argument that their bustling big boxes should be valued like vacant “dark” stores—i.e., the near-worthless properties now peppering America’s shopping plazas.
(Excerpt) Read more at citylab.com ...
Maybe I remember things for a long time because being empty-headed gives me more spare capacity in my brain. :-P
You are right.
That varies by state. Utah taxes unprepared food at about 4%, prepared food at the regular sales tax rate.
Taxes and their method of imposition varies by locality and what was once true in history frequently changes, usually to the worse. Some states tax almost everything but most will exempt food & medical but it is a real checkerboard.
One could write a real history of civilization based upon contemporary taxation. In many eras the overlords would tax as heavily as possible till their underlings either fled or revolted. Other eras had a maximum tax but that usually only lasted a short time. Here in the USofA, the National Government got its money from custom duties and excise taxes with an exception during the US Civil War up to WW1 era. However that was also a time when the US Government was small and most of its employees (80%) work in the Postal System.
Things have changed and like the rest of history it keeps getting more expensive!
Amazon (an incredible company) has an unfair tax advantage on internet sales. For most sales local and state taxes are not levied.
I use Amazon as it is quick and efficient at an equal or lower price.
I feel they should pay state and local taxes where the item is ordered from. Thus the local stores will be on an equal competitive basis with Amazon. Here in Texas that will cost me 8-1/4% and this is fair.
I doubt that’s the reason :)
“I pay taxes for some things on Amazon and not for others, and even then the tax rate is sometimes correct (which sucks) and sometimes lower, confusing”
No all Amazon sales actually come from Amazon. For instance I bought some items from Amazon. The person actually filling the order for Amazon was in Texas as I. I thus paid tax as it was considered a state sale which it was.
Dam.
Learning a lot today.
Thanks.
80 percent!!!???
No bureaucracy?
Well I guess that’s how the founding fathers had wanted it.
Boy did we stray.... :(
Washington is the absolute WORST! We (StorePorter) recommend Avalara for our most difficult online stores.
7
Amazon is opening a distribution center in VA so I guess there goes my tax deferral.
Who gave governments the “right” to charge you money for possessing goods that you are selling, and for which you will pay sales tax? You will, of course, be paying income taxes on any profit that you are foolish enough to make.
This is because government hates the fact that you actually OWN something, and they don’t. They would have seized it in a communist country. OK, the USA is not officially communist, so they won’t just waltz in and seize it, but they do something just as bad: they charge you a “property” tax on your possessions. If you don’t pay, they will come for you. If you defend yourself, you’re dead. So it comes out the same way in the end, except that we have the illusion of going to bed at night and thinking that we are not a communist country.
Taxation is theft.
“they charge you a ‘property’ tax on your possessions”
It reminds me of a Johnny Cash song about building a car with parts ripped off of GM.
Stealing a house over 60 years is still stealing.
Our education system isn’t worth a plug nickel - the kids here in Florida obviously never learned about constitutional amendments or the word ‘infringe’.
One test of value is this:
You say your property is worth only two million.
That buyer over there wants to give you $2,100,000.
Sold!
Generally property should be assessed at what a buyer would pay less transaction costs needed to get that price.
I might be able to only get $190,000 for my house, but a licensed real estate agent might be able to get $205,000, for a ~$15,000 commission.
The mall nearest me is about half empty.
The Costco thrives and JC Penney fights hard to stay in business.
Sears gave up about one year ago.
Macy’s gave up its space about two years ago.
The mall, except for the Costco wing, is probably worth only its land value less demolition costs.
At one time Walmart based all of its stores in exclusively-rural areas. I presume for good reasons.
When Walmart first came to our state, I knew people who would drive 200 miles just to load up their vehicle with groceries, etc. Nutso in my mind.
The only thing I still buy the traditional way is business suits because I go to a tailor for that.
As a consequence, almost all my non work clothes are from the LL Bean website as they have tremendous service AND quality.
Taxation is usually, but not always theft.
Things like the gas tax pay for the roads that make the gas useful.
Taxation is now highly abused to give people about 60 years pay for 40 years work, 60 years pay for 40 years of worthless work, 60 years pay for no work, etc.
“At one time Walmart based all of its stores in exclusively-rural areas. I presume for good reasons.”
At one time, people in the sticks had to pay premium prices.
Wal-Mart, by charging fair prices, had easy pickings for decades.
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