Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Amazon To Comply With Kansas Sales Tax Law

Posted by timothy on from the lion's-share dept.

theodp writes "Online retailer Amazon.com will begin collecting sales tax on Kansans' Internet purchases in April, company officials told legislators Tuesday. Kansas' new destination-based sales tax law took effect last July."

6 of 73 comments (clear)

  1. That's too bad. by sushi_steve · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I hope Texas doesn't pick up on this an require sales tax on us. You can't beat no tax and free shipping on Amazon. They're prices are always decent.
    I also found it interesting that this article was written by my local newspaper. It's fun to see Fort Worth out in the world!

  2. Taxes on Internet purchases by craXORjack · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Who wants to pay tax and shipping when you can go to a local store and just pay tax? Plus you get the item right away. On-line retailers will have to cut into their margins even further to compete.

    --
    Liberals call everyone Nazis yet they are the closest thing to it.
    1. Re:Taxes on Internet purchases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The prices on amazon are usually comparable with local places in Portland (Oregon). If an item isn't at a reasonable price on Amazon, you can typically find another online retailer who *does* have a good price.

      I don't shop in the real world. I would rather order my item online - use the FREE SHIPPING that most places (such as Amazon) offer for items after a certain total (at Amazon, I think it's $50 worth of purchases) and then wait the three to five days for ground shipping. That is MUCH preferable to getting in a car. Getting gas, finding the store you need, dealing with stupid people in traffic, stupid people in the parking lot, stupid people in the aisles of the store, stupid people in line at checkout, stupid people behind the counter, stupid employees on the floor, walking around searching for the items (assuming all the items you even want are at the SAME store which they probably are NOT), etc etc...

      Plus, when I have a problem with a purchase online (ESPECIALLY AMAZON), returning it and getting a refund or credit is a breeze. Even on opened software.

      I haven't shopped in real life in a long time. I've been ordering my groceries online for four years now. 95% of my electronic/computer/tech purchases are online. I buy my clothes online. I buy EVERYTHING online.

      The one thing I *do* hate is that, while I live in sales-tax-free Oregon, I have to PAY SALES TAX on items *I IN OREGON* buy and have sent to someone in, say California. So even though *I* am the one buying the birthday or christmas gift, I have to pay the sales tax as if I were the person in another state. I find that to be total bullshit.

      If my state started charging a sales tax, I would just stop buying anything except groceries and clothing. There is no reason that my $3,000 computer should cost an extra $300 just to line some asshole's pockets in government.

    2. Re:Taxes on Internet purchases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Except I've found that Powell's City of Books has horrendous shipping charges - not to mention, I frequently find NEW books that I want selling at or below the price that Powell's is selling their *used* copies for. I'd rather get 3 books at my door for $50 from amazon than 1 book, plus shipping from Powell's.

      That being said, Powell's is still a joy to shop at *physically*. It's one of the rare exceptions where the in-person experience beats the fuck out of the online one.

  3. Well its only fair... by shaka999 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't like to pay taxes anymore than the next guy but I've always felt a little bad for the brick and motar stores. Not taxing online stores gave them an unfair advantage.

    An online store should have to have efficient enough in their operations to run on lower mark-up so that their price + shipping + tax is less than an old brick and motar (price + tax).

    In an ideal world the tax rate would go down when more items are taxed (i.e. a revenue neutral change). Of course we all know the increase in tax actually goes to fund someone pissing in a cup and calling it art or maybe a few more jets to fight a cold war that has been over for years...

    --
    One should not theorize before one has data. -Sherlock Holmes-
  4. Re:The have to... by eht · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sales and Use Taxes in Kansas

    Granted it's nto a government publication, but I quote "Use tax. In Kansas the use tax supplements the sales tax. The use tax is levied upon people that are using, storing, or consuming in Kansas any article of tangible personal property that has not been subjected to sales or use tax by any state. Thus, the use tax is also referred to as the "compensating tax."

    If you ordered something online from Pennsylvania and didn't pay a sales tax to PA, you owe a use tax to Kansas.