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Thread: Vote them OUT!

  1. #1
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    Post Vote them OUT!

    Democrats push for new Internet sales taxes
    The halcyon days of tax-free Internet shopping will, if Rep. Bill Delahunt gets his way, soon be coming to an abrupt end.

    Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced a bill on Thursday that would rewrite the ground rules for Internet and mail order sales by eliminating the option for many Americans to shop over the Internet without paying state sales taxes.

    At the moment, Americans who shop over the Internet from out-of-state vendors usually aren't required to pay sales taxes. Californians buying books from Amazon.com or cameras from Manhattan's B&H Photo, for example, won't be required to cough up the sales taxes that they would if shopping at a local mall.

    This is hardly a new debate: pro-tax officials and state governments have been pressing Congress to require taxes to be collected for a decade or so. They argue that reduced sales tax revenue threatens budgets for schools and police, and say that, as a matter of fairness, online retailers should be forced to collect the same taxes that brick-and-mortar retailers do.

    But with states scrambling for new sources of revenue during what may be a double-dip recession, pro-tax lobbyists are hoping that they'll have better luck this year. The National Conference of State Legislatures applauded Delahunt's legislation, saying he should be commended for allowing states to collect as much as $23 billion in new taxes.

    So did the Retail Industry Leaders Association, whose tax committee members include Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Costco, AutoZone, Target, and IKEA.

    On the other side are groups that advocate for lower taxes and retailers including Amazon.com and eBay. In a statement on Friday, Tod Cohen, eBay's vice president for government relations said: "At a time when unemployment rates are high and small businesses across the country are closing shop, we are confident that Congress will protect small Internet retailers and the consumers they serve from another Internet tax scheme."

    Co-sponsors of Delahunt's bill, the "Main Street Fairness Act," include Reps. Michael Capuano, John Conyers, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, and Peter Welch, all Democrats. No Republican has signed on as a co-sponsor.

    The final version of Delahunt's legislation had not yet been made public on Friday, and his office did not immediately respond to queries from CNET. But it's expected to be similar to other versions he's introduced before.

    Earlier versions were drafted in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision saying that, in general, out-of-state retailers can't be required to collect sales taxes unless Congress changes the law. The justices noted in a 1992 case called Quill v. North Dakota: "Congress is now free to decide whether, when, and to what extent the States may burden interstate mail order concerns with a duty to collect use taxes."

    One exception to that rule is a legal concept called "nexus," which means a company can be forced to collect sales taxes if it has a sufficient business presence. If Amazon had an office in California, it already would be collecting sales tax for Golden State residents. (Another exception is the sale of cigarettes, which is covered by the Jenkins Act.)

    In response to complexity concerns, the pro-tax forces have offered a proposal that they hope Congress can be persuaded to adopt. The concept is called the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement, invented in 2002 by state tax officials hoping to straighten out some of sales tax laws' most notorious convolutions.

    Since then, some 24 states have signed on, either wholly or partially, to the agreement, meaning they agree to simplify their tax codes and make them uniform. If enough states participate, proponents believe it will be easier to convince Congress to make sales collection mandatory for out-of-state retailers.

    "Despite a decade of trying to reduce the unreasonable burdens cited by the Supreme Court, the actual simplification achieved by the Streamlined Sales Tax Project is not nearly sufficient to convince Congress that it should abandon its role in protecting interstate commerce," Steve DelBianco, executive director of the NetChoice coalition, said in e-mail on Friday. Coalition members include AOL, eBay, Expedia, and Yahoo.

    There is one caveat under existing law: online purchases from sites like Amazon and eBay only seem to arrive tax-free. Legally, however, purchasers are required to pay their own state's sales tax rate--the concept is called a "use tax"--and then voluntarily report the amount owed at tax time. But, state tax collectors say, few do.

    State tax collectors haven't exactly been idle while waiting for Congress. They've been trying to force Amazon to turn over purchase records in North Carolina, attempting to force retailers to become tax-tattlers in California and Tennessee, and putting the squeeze on affiliate programs in Colorado.

    Earlier this week, the Direct Marketing Association sued Colorado, saying its law requiring out-of-state retailers to turn over purchase history information is unconstitutional.
    http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20009 ... =rtcol;pop

    This impacts me greatly since sales tax in LA is 9.725% I can tell you internet retailers would be adversely impacted since there'd be no point to shop online when you could just get raped at the local store. :x

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    Re: Vote them OUT!

    Really what we need in this economy... More taxes.... Can't compete with manufacturing... Can't buy shit... Now we face the prospect of not being able to use the internet for free...

    Has this administration ever heard of the multiplier? How about stimulating consumer spending and growth of manufacturing in our own country? How about concentrating on limiting the idea of the second dip, and provide an upside in this era of nothing but doom-and-gloom in the economic media?

    This administration is at least 10 times worse than I had worried, economically speaking. I didn't expect them to be able to polish a turd, but they sure have no idea wtf is going on or how to fix it.
    Steam: raging_clue | Battle.net: Ragingclue#1192 | Origin: Ragingklu | PSN: Ragingklu
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    USMG Member squidfamily1's Avatar
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    Re: Vote them OUT!

    If you buy something on amazon you would normally buy at your local Barnes and Noble your local economy and government is missing this revenue. Broward Sheriff's office recently laid off over 100 police, jail, and dispatch personnel because the local budget no longer had funding for them. It's not a new tax it's enforcement of taxes that should have been paid all along. Efforts to enforce this tax have been going on well before the current administration.
    I'll avoid stating any opinions on this topic as I have a feeling it's going to get pretty heated. :shock:



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    Re: Vote them OUT!

    Quote Originally Posted by squidfamily1
    If you buy something on amazon you would normally buy at your local Barnes and Noble your local economy and government is missing this revenue. Broward Sheriff's office recently laid off over 100 police, jail, and dispatch personnel because the local budget no longer had funding for them. It's not a new tax it's enforcement of taxes that should have been paid all along. Efforts to enforce this tax have been going on well before the current administration.
    I'll avoid stating any opinions on this topic as I have a feeling it's going to get pretty heated. :shock:
    I see your point, and I wouldn't have a problem with the taxes if I new the administration would spend the money wisely instead of blowing it like they do every other penny they get. I don't see the implementation of a small tax like 1% or less a problem though. But then, it would only be a matter of time before they jack it up to no end! :?




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    USMG Member squidfamily1's Avatar
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    Re: Vote them OUT!

    Quote Originally Posted by Ironhide400
    Quote Originally Posted by squidfamily1
    If you buy something on amazon you would normally buy at your local Barnes and Noble your local economy and government is missing this revenue. Broward Sheriff's office recently laid off over 100 police, jail, and dispatch personnel because the local budget no longer had funding for them. It's not a new tax it's enforcement of taxes that should have been paid all along. Efforts to enforce this tax have been going on well before the current administration.
    I'll avoid stating any opinions on this topic as I have a feeling it's going to get pretty heated. :shock:
    I see your point, and I wouldn't have a problem with the taxes if I new the administration would spend the money wisely instead of blowing it like they do every other penny they get. I don't see the implementation of a small tax like 1% or less a problem though. But then, it would only be a matter of time before they jack it up to no end! :?
    originally supossed to work out that you would pay your local sales tax like any other purchase you make. federal gov't doesn't get your sales tax, local gov't does



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    Re: Vote them OUT!

    Quote Originally Posted by squidfamily1
    originally supossed to work out that you would pay your local sales tax like any other purchase you make. federal gov't doesn't get your sales tax, local gov't does
    Yeah, that is what scares me! I don't know how much you watch the news, but Illinois local gov't is horrifically corrupt and messed up BAD! Living in the state capital, you wouldn't believe the shit that happens here. They get away with it because everything in this town is politically corrupt. I can't wait to move out of here! But overall, I do understand your point.




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    USMG Member squidfamily1's Avatar
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    Re: Vote them OUT!

    Quote Originally Posted by Ironhide400
    Quote Originally Posted by squidfamily1
    originally supossed to work out that you would pay your local sales tax like any other purchase you make. federal gov't doesn't get your sales tax, local gov't does
    Yeah, that is what scares me! I don't know how much you watch the news, but Illinois local gov't is horrifically corrupt and messed up BAD! Living in the state capital, you wouldn't believe the shit that happens here. They get away with it because everything in this town is politically corrupt. I can't wait to move out of here! But overall, I do understand your point.
    google "political corruption, miami" and you'll probably get more results than if you search "porn" :shock:



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    Re: Vote them OUT!

    Quote Originally Posted by squidfamily1
    If you buy something on amazon you would normally buy at your local Barnes and Noble your local economy and government is missing this revenue. Broward Sheriff's office recently laid off over 100 police, jail, and dispatch personnel because the local budget no longer had funding for them. It's not a new tax it's enforcement of taxes that should have been paid all along. Efforts to enforce this tax have been going on well before the current administration.
    I'll avoid stating any opinions on this topic as I have a feeling it's going to get pretty heated. :shock:
    Voice em' if you got em' squid. I guess the sentiment differs depending on where you live. California is the most mismanaged state in the union. The states bankrupt and my city is bankrupt. LAUSD is the most bloated and mismanaged school district also. If I didn't have such a good job, I'd ditch this state in a hurry.

    A little insight into our latest f-up:
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100707/ap_ ... mum_wage_2

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    USMG Member squidfamily1's Avatar
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    Re: Vote them OUT!

    Quote Originally Posted by TheLordourGod
    Quote Originally Posted by squidfamily1
    If you buy something on amazon you would normally buy at your local Barnes and Noble your local economy and government is missing this revenue. Broward Sheriff's office recently laid off over 100 police, jail, and dispatch personnel because the local budget no longer had funding for them. It's not a new tax it's enforcement of taxes that should have been paid all along. Efforts to enforce this tax have been going on well before the current administration.
    I'll avoid stating any opinions on this topic as I have a feeling it's going to get pretty heated. :shock:
    Voice em' if you got em' squid. I guess the sentiment differs depending on where you live. California is the most mismanaged state in the union. The states bankrupt and my city is bankrupt. LAUSD is the most bloated and mismanaged school district also. If I didn't have such a good job, I'd ditch this state in a hurry.

    A little insight into our latest f-up:
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100707/ap_ ... mum_wage_2
    The sales that would normally go to local proprietor's and mom and pop businesses and the taxes that are generated by them have gone to internet sales. Which effectively help cause the small businesses affected to go under and diminishes the capability of local government to fund basic services. If the local government can't pay for those services with a sales tax they will tax you another way.
    Would you rather have the guy that's buying the luxury automobile on e-bay pay his sales tax or have it come out of an increased property tax or other locally generated tax on your funds even though you are not participating in the benefit of the purchase?



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  10. #10
    USMG Member shonyx's Avatar
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    Re: Vote them OUT!

    Hey, does this apply to stuff we get through AAFES online?


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