Democrats push for taxing internet sales

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It sucks, but I think it's only a matter of time. Some municipalities have already started this shit, so it's coming.
 
Wow, sales taxes are LOW over there. I'm paying 19% on everything (except food) and they wanted to raise it to 20% this year. Luckely that didn't go through.

But I can see how it would suck to see a 6-9% raise suddenly. Won't do the online business much good I think.
 
Local retailers have an overhead disadvantage, but online retailers have a shipping disadvantage. The internet has created new means of commerce that did not exist before. Taxing this will not help local economies, it will simply slow the growth of this new economy which will hurt job growth in a down economy.

Also, it will be especially difficult for small internet business to handle the overhead of accepting and paying sales tax to 50 different states. The big boys like Amazon and Steam will have no problem, but the small business - the largest job creators in this new economy - will certainly be hurt.
 
This should've happened day 1. This isn't a new tax, but rather a closing of a tax loophole that has unfairly hurt b&m stores.

Great posts loki. Many of the folks lamenting the meager social benefits provided to the unskilled or obsolete unemployeds may find out the hard way that they themselves aren't so useful to the future economy as automation and outsourcing of service jobs marginalize the value of today's skilled workers.

Anywho, I'm an amazon junkie but I fail to se how me spending less on there as a result of a sales tax would be especially damning to the economy. I may not blow some random cash on a book recommendation, but that money I chose not to spend on it will surely get spent on something else.
 
We have enough double and triple taxation in America as it is.

So now when I sell something used on Ebay I have to charge a tax? or is that the next step in fucking us over?
 
you know if they did this on amazon and always included the interweb tax in the displayed price, i probably wouldn't even notice :lol
 
maybe internet taxes will kill peoples internet buying habits.

give all the illegal immigrants a job as courriers to run around, and live off tips from delivering stuff door-to-door. will create lots of jobs, and the americans are already used to surviving off tips as a almost main income.
 
Hari Seldon said:
Local retailers have an overhead disadvantage, but online retailers have a shipping disadvantage. The internet has created new means of commerce that did not exist before. Taxing this will not help local economies, it will simply slow the growth of this new economy which will hurt job growth in a down economy.

Also, it will be especially difficult for small internet business to handle the overhead of accepting and paying sales tax to 50 different states. The big boys like Amazon and Steam will have no problem, but the small business - the largest job creators in this new economy - will certainly be hurt.
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where does mail order sit? i.e just ring up and order. That was around before the internet, so is that also exempt (and perhaps where the internet took its model from)?
 
"Main Street Fairness Act." Yeah, right. It's going to be chain stores like Best Buy and Borders that reap the benefits of this legislation, not mom & pop shops.
 
Ripclawe said:
So people have to accept the fact that they to take care of the less productive, capable, parasitic members of society who are already a strain on our wallets?
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Rapture now has broadband, I see.
 
Ripclawe said:
So people have to accept the fact that they to take care of the less productive, capable, parasitic members of society who are already a strain on our wallets? Nonsense. At some point social welfare will become too much for the people and there will be a furious backlash. Social darwinism fear be damned.
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Holy shit.

That's like the most Riplclawe Ripclawe that's ever Ripclawed a Ripclawe.

Are you like a character from a character from a book, or perhaps some kind of monster that parents try and scare their children with?


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But yeah, this kind of tax just seems inevitable.
 
Wait, what is this about? Isn't the sales tax supposed to be on sales? What's the difference by buying them via the internet?

Were the products completely tax-free, or is this an added 'internet' tax on the already present tax?
 
Jexhius said:
Holy shit.

That's like the most Riplclawe Ripclawe that's ever Ripclawed a Ripclawe.

Are you like a character from a character from a book, or perhaps some kind of monster that parents try and scare their children with?


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But yeah, this kind of tax just seems inevitable.
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Reality is harsh sometimes. The is already massive amounts of waste in government. Start cutting there, make programs and processes more efficient and then talk about raising taxes. All this will do is make people spend less.
 
Ripclawe said:
Reality is harsh sometimes. The is already massive amounts of waste in government. Start cutting there, make programs and processes more efficient and then talk about raising taxes. All this will do is make people spend less.
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Conjecture is fun!

This removes the competitive advantage that some online retailers have over others, but spend less? Not likely.
 
Ripclawe said:
Reality is harsh sometimes. The is already massive amounts of waste in government. Start cutting there, make programs and processes more efficient and then talk about raising taxes. All this will do is make people spend less.
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You're no Toxic Adam :( I see why he's the one with the cool tag.

It's entirely possible that people will spend less.

But people have spending far, far above their average disposable income for some time now. It's high time people reigned in their stupid amounts of personal debt. http://www.economist.com/node/16397124

I know, when arguing on the internet I should try and avoid evidence and such, but I'm an old fashioned fellow.
 
wait, the US doesn't pay any tax on purchased goods from the internet?
I thought they did, but that some extra separate tax was being introduced. :lol
 
Veidt said:
wait, the US doesn't pay any tax on purchased goods from the internet?
I thought they did, but that some extra separate tax was being introduced. :lol
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Whoever stopped it happening until now was a lobbying genius.
 
From a rational point of view, it only makes sense.

From a regular internet shopper's point of view, it fucking blows. :lol

I feel like this can easily lead to a bit of a slippery slope to overtaxing internet businesses, though. I want to say that the better idea would be some form of progressive taxation to encourage smaller e-tailer growth and development. Also, internet business have considerable unique hurdles to deal with as well; I'd feel more comfortable knowing that any attempts to levy these taxes are being done level-headedly.

The prospects of a simpler tax codes seems like a good thing, however. Wonder how far that'll go.
 
Yeah, this would definitely be rough on internet businesses. I tend to buy local in my area, but there comes a point where there's just only so much in said local area even possible to patron.

IF they "had" to do this, on top of whatever problems, it would have to be a fixed percentage as opposed to an assortment of 50 variances.

This is pretty well a bad idea as it stands though, because it seems more likely to be rigged to stifle far moreso across the board than to empower.
 
catfish said:
wtf America doesn't pay tax if you buy off internet? :lol

seems like putting sales tax on internet stuff might be a good way to start digging yourselves out of that massive hole.

EDIT: this really blows my mind that you don't pay tax on internet purchases. I do most of my shopping straight off internet these days, if I was saving 20% VAT everytime I did it. Holy fuck I would have been straight digital person years ago.
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Seriously, what the fuck. Tax free internet shopping sounds like heaven.
 
How is this a slippery slope if all it does is close a tax loophole? This could affect smaller online retailers, but could likewise help smaller brick and mortar businesses that are forced to collect sales taxes on purchased goods. It seems a push between the two while also giving local and state governments a solid way to help close budget deficits.
 
Someone correct me if I'm wrong:

So if by some miracle it does pass, then people would have to pay for:

-tax added to original price
-shipping and handling
-the new internet sales tax

Is that correct?

EDIT-Hmmm. I don't recall paying a tax on items I've bought on Amazon. Sorry, just ignorant on the subject. =\
 
Veidt said:
wait, the US doesn't pay any tax on purchased goods from the internet?
I thought they did, but that some extra separate tax was being introduced. :lol
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It's to offset us having to pay to receive text messages on cellphones.
 
In New York, we already have to do this for most retailers online so meh.

Why shouldn't you have to pay taxes on stuff you buy? It makes sense for there to be no tax on stuff you buy from people (see: eBay, Craigslist, et al)...but why not buy.com? That's a store, right?
 
McLovin said:
I think they need to fix their spending habits before they charge more taxes.
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/thread, except we have to have a lot of people making arguments of how badly local and federal governments need money as if it will actually fix a hole instead of causing a bigger one.
 
Someone explain this to me. From what I understand this is tax that should have been there in the first place? Don't see how internet companies are somehow above normal retailers.
 
Slavik81 said:
I can't believe there wasn't one already. It seems ridiculous that there's not.
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This, it's a nonsense loophole that should have been closed 10 years ago.

I have to pay taxes on all online purchases here in Canada, it's called normal up here.
 
Jason's Ultimatum said:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong:

So if by some miracle it does pass, then people would have to pay for:

-tax added to original price
-shipping and handling
-the new internet sales tax

Is that correct?

EDIT-Hmmm. I don't recall paying a tax on items I've bought on Amazon. Sorry, just ignorant on the subject. =\
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no

its just making sales tax standard on internet purchases. Right now i dont pay sales tax in PA unless it is from a PA shop.
 
This would be a death knell for my wallet at a time when I don't need extra expenses. Tax is already insane here in Illinois... Amazon is my one refuge. Please don't do it, politicians. :(
 
Schmitty said:
:lol :lol

I agree, we don't need anymore taxes when we are recovering from a recession
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And when we're not in a recession "Taxes will ruin the good thing we have going right now, why would you want to mess with that?"

In short it is never okay to raise taxes. Cut them till the end of time! Who cares if the states/federal government doesn't generate enough revenue to provide social programs I feel I'm entitled to.
 
wow, you guys have (had?) it pretty sweet over there

there's always been taxes shopping online here in canada. taxes suck and all...but I mean if products bought in physical store locations are taxed, it isn't really all that strange that products bought online would be taxed the same amount
 
I mean, it sucks, and it's going to cost me money. However, I can't really come up with a good argument why I SHOULDN'T pay taxes on shit I buy off of the internets. Just don't try to make it retroactive and you won't hear any bitching from me.
 
X26 said:
wow, you guys have (had?) it pretty sweet over there

there's always been taxes shopping online here in canada. taxes suck and all...but I mean if products bought in physical store locations are taxed, it isn't really all that strange that products bought online would be taxed the same amount
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Highly unlikely that this will change and one of the reasons prices are kept competitive in America.
 
2San said:
Someone explain this to me. From what I understand this is tax that should have been there in the first place? Don't see how internet companies are somehow above normal retailers.
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Basically, laws in America aren't arrived at by logical consideration, but by a coalition of business lobbyists and political ideologists. Just like in a whole host of other countries (accept the Netherlands).
 
Pctx said:
Highly unlikely that this will change and one of the reasons prices are kept competitive in America.
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prices are kept competitive because there is no sales tax on one side? How does this even make sense? If you slap on an extra 6% the original price of the product isn't going up. What it will do is push more sales to b&m stores.
 
Why not extra-taxing the armament industry that are making bit-time money since the USA invaded Iraq? They are swimming in money and the prospect looks fine with the war ongoing while the rest of US' industry has to suffer from the crisis (except Goldman Sachs that is ^^).
And while we are at it, why not tax the profit one makes from selling stocks (or is it the case already in the US? In Germany it got established a year ago or so...) so that the financial sector that was mainly the reason for the crisis (due to many factors involded: the lack of regulation/control from government, constant greed, bonus system as motivating force etc.) would have to pay for it many years to come...
 
Teh Hamburglar said:
Exactly. Examine the source and design a budget and have people held accountable for it. A new tax may improve things in the short run but its like treating a symptom and not the disease.
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Not to mention that the out of state purchaser doesn't get any benefit from the sales tax unlike the locals where it goes towards schools, fire/police, etc. The company still has to pay taxes on the profit.

water_wendi said:
Of course it is. When brick and mortar stores cannot compete with tax-less goods they go out of business. When they go out of business people lose jobs. When people lose jobs both them and the defunct business cannot pay taxes. If those tax revenue streams are lost this damages the economy.
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Local people don't have to pay shipping and handling so it partially balances out. (going both ways sometimes)
 
that's really messed up, especially for those of us who budget based on not having to pay sales tax on internet buys. why don't they just tax IRL purchases a bit more instead? they still make up the VAST majority of all purchases afaik and it seems stupid to tax something that has never been taxed
 
Yay more taxes so that the fuckers throw away our money elsewhere.


How new and exciting.. As a democrat, FUCK OFF ELECTED DEMS.
 
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