Smokers asked to cough up taxes for Web buys

CNET News.com ^ | February 18, 2005, 3:31 PM PST | Alorie Gilbert

[Zon]

Politicians and bureaucrats in Michigan holding true to their parasitical elite ways. More theft under the color of law.

[Wolfie]

I was wondering when the Jenkins Act would begin rearing its ugly head.

[RandallFlagg]

PING!

[rockprof]

Just did our taxes here in NY and our CPA said the State of New York now wants to know, on the State income tax return, how much money you have spent purchasing things online (NOT just cigarettes - think Amazon.Com, E-Bay,etc.)for which sales tax wasn't collected.

I told her to tell the State of New York to go to hell but I think she just wrote "none" on the form. It's only a matter of time before these leeches get online businesses to collect sales taxes from every purchase.

[Gabz]

A 2002 report (click for .pdf) from the U.S. General Accounting Office said most states tax the sale of cigarettes, and that online sales have cost them millions of dollars in lost revenue.

I hate to tell them - but they can not lose that which they don't have. This so-called lost revenue were just predictions of how much they might collect, not what they actually collected.

[Gabz]

Thanks, RF.

[G.Mason]

"The Jenkins Act requires anyone who sells cigarettes into any state, to report those sales to each state monthly. This would include your name and order information.

Native Americans are exempt from the Jenkins Act because we are independent nations under our federal treaties. That is the reason that we do not pay, or collect, state taxes."

http://www.senecasmokes.com/the_jenkins_act.htm

[RandallFlagg]

Just did our taxes here in NY and our CPA said the State of New York now wants to know, on the State income tax return, how much money you have spent purchasing things online (NOT just cigarettes - think Amazon.Com, E-Bay,etc.)for which sales tax wasn't collected.

Please tell this to all the, "You stinky smokers oughta quit so you'll live longer and the taxman won't come after you anymore," folks that are likely to chime in.

And they thought that it'd just be about cigarettes. HAH!

[Zon]

Politicians and bureaucrats scratching their heads wonder..."why are so many smokers buying over the Internet rather than local stores as they have in the past?"

Obvious answer: they found a partial escape from the continuing "rape" by the politicians and bureaucrats.

[RandallFlagg]

I hope Seneca goes to selling RYO. It'd be a good way for them to supplement their sales and open up a wider variety.

BTW, I still have three cartons of Senecas I haven't touched since rolling my own.

[Gabz]

Exactly.

If these politicians would just open their eyes - they would see that they would reap more tax dollars by lowering the exorbitant taxes and the problem of "bootleg" smokes would take a drastic decline.

[Raycpa]

The theft is from the tax cheats. We either have laws we follow or we have anarchy.

[Raycpa]

And they thought that it'd just be about cigarettes. HAH!

Use tax are as old as the sales tax and have always been payable by residents purchasing out of state. The only new thing is smokers thinking they are above the laws just because they cannot resist smoking.

[Zon]

Apparently you irrationally think there are no bogus laws.

[Wolfie]

Sure, according to the Indians. The BATF thinks otherwise. Given the track record of the respective entities involved, my money's on the Feds prevailing.

[NaughtiusMaximus]

And thank you Sheriff of Nottingham!

[Raycpa]

Tax on cigarettes are not exactly new. In fact excise taxes were the main revenue source for cited by the constitution and tobbaco played a big part.

[spudsmaki]

Exempt, but only as long as you are on tribal property.

A couple of states are contesting this, by saying you are not allowed to bulk transport cigs across their jurisdictions. What they do is stop the delivery truck, unload the cigs and ticket the driver. It's happened once in Wisconsin as a test case, and I'm told Michigan is doing this to their tribes.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Native Americans are exempt from the Jenkins Act because we are independent nations under our federal treaties. That is the reason that we do not pay, or collect, state taxes."

I'm a Native American too. When do I get to stop paying these infernal taxes?

[Vigilantcitizen]

Don't know what kind of tubes you use, but my local tobacco shop started carrying a brand called Zen, made with rice paper instead of pulp paper, and supposedly they use a more natural glue. I highly recommend them.