Slashdot Mirror


Internet Tax Ban Extended

GiorgioG sent in news that the ban on internet taxes will be extended for two years. Not that that will make the recession go away, but it's a start. Remember: every time you buy over the internet, an angel gets his wings.

10 of 233 comments (clear)

  1. heh... by tcc · · Score: 3, Informative

    >every time you buy over the internet, an angel gets his wings

    As long as you don't buy from a united states dealer and live in canada, and ship thru UPS.

    Shipping cost
    15% duty tax,
    7% federal tax
    7% Provencial tax
    profit on the exchange rate on CC or paypal,

    God... when you think about it, it's depressing from a production point of view, you're doing hardware, you must do everything to keep cost super low to get to that 300% mark to recuperate the r&d cost, normally you end up doing maybe what, 20% overall profit!?... in the end, the gov makes almost more profit with your stuff than you... no wonder we got so many people on wealthfare, maybe I've underestimated them and they are the genious :)

    --
    --- Metamoderating abusive downgraders since my 300th post.
  2. Re:State Taxes. by wnknisely · · Score: 3, Informative

    I know that in PA we're expected (on the honor system) to calculate the appropriate state sales tax on items bought outside the state, and send the amount onto the state office in Harrisburg.

    I'm not aware that there is a large active office for collecting those revenues. (Disclaimer - I only know this in principle - since I'm not aware of anyone actually doing this.)

    I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that this was true for other states that have a state sales tax. (Some states like Delaware do not.)

    --
    In illa quae ultra sunt
  3. Bush... by nll8802 · · Score: 3, Informative

    President Bush actually wanted to extend it longer than two years. You can read more about the tax extentsion at Yahoo!

  4. Re:WTO, IMF, GATT, UN etc. by EisPick · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What have you been smoking? It's the United NATIONs, not the United PEOPLE. It's a forum for nations to hammer out disagreements and provide aid to one another, not a world government. And there are a lot of us who are glad its not.

    Are you sure you want to be taxed by an organization whose executive committee gives China a veto? I know I don't.

  5. What about Pr0n? by laserjet · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Sen. Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, who favored the simple extension, said Americans don't want to be taxed when they log on the Internet for their news, weather and sports."

    That may be, but I really think that most Americans don't want to be taxed when they "log on" the Internet for their pornography.

    On a side note, does "Internet" really need to be capatilized anymore?

    --
    Moon Macrosystems. Sun's biggest competitor.
  6. Re:State Taxes. by Trekologer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This doesn't affect the ability of States to tax internet sales does it? I know Michigan keeps telling me I am required to pay taxes no matter where I buy from. Is this correct?

    You're supposed to pay sales tax. In my state, the grand old New Jersey, the back of my state income tax return has a form for "Use Tax". I'm supposed to declare purchases I've made out of the state or though the mail where New Jersey sales tax was not collected* and pay the 6% on those purchases. I am not telling you to break the law, but... its very simple to avoid that tax... just don't pay it.

    Sales tax is not a tax on the sale (or seller), its a tax on the purcahse (or purchaser). So, your state wants to collect tax on all purchases you've made, even if they were from out of the state.

    It should be noted that this "tax ban" prevents the Federal government from taxing Internet purchases, not the state governments. It is highly unlikely that the Federal government would tax internet purchases since they do not tax cross-state mail order purchases anyway. This is more to make Internet purchasers "feel good" than anything else.

    * If I purchased online or mail order from a merchant in N.J. they are required to collect the tax.

  7. How? by Exmet+Paff+Daxx · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Isn't this just their way of saying they still have no clue how to implement a tax on Internet sales and make it enforcable? The state of Maryland, for example, imposes a %10 use tax on any goods purchased via the Internet or mail order from out of state in order to "level the playing field" with local Maryland businesses. I know quite a few people in Maryland who owe thousands in "use tax", which requires you to police yourself and send it in at the end of the year, because they have never paid it and don't know it exists. The state picks a few hundred people each year to "audit" for use tax, and they usually get hit with so much back use tax fines that they collapse under the financial load and declare personal bankruptcy. Imagine owing 10% on anything you've ever ordered from out of state, for as far back as the state can get ahold of financial records, plus interest and fines. Ya.

    If this is how the states are taxing the Internet, you can imagine how well the Feds would do. They're probably looking at the dismal failures of the states and waiting for a successful model to emerge.

    --
    If guns kill people, then CmdrTaco's keyboard misspells words.
  8. How taxes really work. by ers81239 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I was the programmer elected to serve on a tax compliance comittee for an online retailer. Here are some things most people don't realize about taxes and the internet.
    • There are 2 kinds of tax that can apply to a sale. They are sales tax and excise tax. Both of these taxes are paid to the juristiction where the goods were sold (not where they were received).
    • In a face to face transaction, the SELLER is responsible for collected the tax due to the jurisdiction where the sale is taking place. This is called a sales tax.
    • In a non-face to face transaction, the BUYER is responsible for paying all applicable taxes to the proper jurisdiction (as well as any taxes that could be incurred from the transport of the goods). This is called an EXCISE tax.
    • Sellers are required to collect SALES tax to facilitate commerce (imagine if you had to file paperwork for every purchase you ever made).
    • The internet ban restricts states from requiring the companies in their jurisdiction to collect sales taxes on internet sales. There aren't any proposals in congress that deal with some kind of special 'internet' tax. They are talking about they ways that sales and excise taxes are handled.
    • What does it all mean? When you buy $1000 worth of hardware online, you actually owe taxes on it. The deal is that states can't afford to come track you down to collect it.


    --
    there are 2 kinds of people. those who divide people into 2 kinds, and those who don't.
  9. Re:May help stem further collapse by the_great_cornholio · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Good idea: we as taxpayers should subsidize companies with a shaky business model at the expense of those which have already seen some measure of success. That's our free market at work!

  10. Re:May help stem further collapse by the_great_cornholio · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I thought it was the lack of a costly 'brick-and-mortar' presence that was to offset the shipping costs associated with their business model. They would then change lower per item, both to compensate the consumer for her extra wait for the item and to offset the shipping costs. Of course, this presupposes these people have a business model that was anything more than let's take other people's money, spend it, and hope for the best.