Internet Sales Tax May Get Amazon.com's Support

[lanlady]

Supporters of a national Internet sales tax proposal are negotiating with Amazon.com in a bid to win an endorsement from the largest online retailer for legislation introduced today in Congress.

The legislation would put the federal government's stamp of approval on a state-led effort to require online retailers to apply sales taxes to nearly all of their transactions. In return, states would simplify their complex tax laws to make collecting taxes easier for Internet businesses.

Backers of the legislation say the plan would ensure that online sellers are required to collect the same taxes as their bricks-and-mortar competitors and would provide much-needed cash for financially ailing states. Amazon's support would be the most substantial yet from the online community.

...more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63763-2003Sep25.html

[ixion]

1. hmmm.. perhaps I should stop buying from amazon...

it will make it much less cost effective if they start charging tax. And do you note who the major players are in this? Corporations and Government, screwing the consumer out of more money.

[lanlady]

2. exactly--and

--what's left to offset the shipping costs?

[veganwitch]

3. i stopped shopping amazon...

and all other large booksellers when all the local bookshops started closing down.

[Abe Linkman]

4. Rich people support socializing costs while privatizing profits.

What else is new about rich people supporting something as regressive (unfair) as a sales tax?

If Bezos wanted to demonstrate political courage, and concern for all of his fellow citizens, he would support PROgressive tax schemes. Especially, raising the tax rates on personal income.

[tapper]

5. Let's separate the issues here.

Wait up a moment, folks.

Let's differentiate between the fairness of the sales tax, per se, and the fairness of adding sales taxes to internet purchases. I don't particularly care for the sales tax, especially in my state which taxes the basics, such as food and clothing. But as long as we have sales taxes, it's only fair to include internet purchases as well -- which would probably actually add a smidgen of fairness, since (I'm guessing) that such purchases are made by middle- and upper-class people, who have the internet access and credit cards.

As for what the additional sales tax does to the total price, that's going to depend on what and where you're buying. Much of the stuff I've bought online the last few years would have still been less expensive, even with sales tax. (And some online merchants, such as Apple, already charge sales tax anyway.) Would the requirement of all online merchants to add sales taxes change my shopping habits? Mildly, perhaps. But as I see it, the online merchants are getting an unfair advantage over brick&mortar merchants by not having the sales tax, and I believe that should be rectified.

[newyawker99]

6. Hi tapper!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[GinaMaria]

9. I pay sales tax on Internet purchases if

I purchase from a site that has an address or store in my state. I'm then charged my states sales tax. I pay less in shipping because it's in state (generally). Amazon is not in my state, I do not pay sales tax on items I buy from them but I do pay s&h. I would think this would come out about even, depending where you are. Paying both s&h from another state and sales tax may discourage my current shopping habits :-) I would swap convenience(Internet) for lower cost(brick and mort)

[alarimer]

14. right

You don't pay sales tax on catalog purchases if the company is not in your state either so why should you have to pay sales tax at Amamzon (based in Washington) if you live in Texas? If they make internet merchants start charging sales tax then they should make catalog merchants charge sales tax also.

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. I believe most states have laws

that require you to report out of state purchases and then remit the sales tax due to your home state. At least that's the way it is in Florida. However, most people don't know or just ignore these types of laws. It only becomes an issue if you're a business and get audited for sales tax.

[FlemingsGhost]

7. Folks should be buying from local, independent shops anyway.

Screw Amazon... They've become the online version of WalMart.

[veganwitch]

8. green dot

cheers!

[tsipple]

10. Sales Taxes Regressive

How about we ditch all state sales taxes and move toward income taxes?

[robcon]

11. At least someone is looking for fairness

Internet and mail-order retailers have an enormous advantage over retail stores. It would be a restoration of fairness for every sale to have sales tax, although I don't know how they'll allocate the proceeds to the states.

[sendero]

12. I don't like....

...private companies sticking their asses into public policy.

If Congress wants to enable taxes on internet sales , so be it, but who gives a rat's backside what Amazon thinks?

[Selwynn]

13. I support internet sales tax

[w4rma]

15. Raising taxes on Americans with a flat tax. (n/t)

[meow2u3]

17. One major problem with Internet sales tax

It's unconstitutional, under article I, Section 9, clause 5: "No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State."

But then again, the Constitution never stopped Repukes from doing as they pleased at Americans' expense :eyes: