U.S. Senators Propose Internet Sales Tax Law

[Naxos]

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
(Internet Sales Tax*)
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax


STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom, if agreed, stayed home to raise the kids.

 

[Guest]

Ok folks i want you to vote in a tax code change so we can collect a possibly small sum of money from online sales (which would probably become smaller when user decide not to buy it cause of the added tax)

 

[elbert]

U.S. Senators want costumers to play state tax from the sales site, pay shipping, and without question states not benefiting will force sales tax to the customer. This will destroy online sales and cripple shipping company's. This is a very bad ideal as currently online sales create taxable shipping jobs for all states, increase the sales of gas with huge taxes, and delivery vehicle sales. Without question this will incur a negative outcome for all involved.

 

[AerieC]

[citation][nom]Naxos[/nom]*A big long whine about taxes*[/citation]

And yet, the U.S. still has one of the lowest personal tax rates of the western world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_around_the_world

 

[SirGCal]

The US does have some of the lowest Tax rates in the modern world with all things considered... And I'm actually FOR a lot of taxes... Things have to be paid for... But we SHOULD also have more-say about where that money goes... Still, an Internet Tax is going too far... It's a store... It is ZERO difference then buying over the phone and shipping it. If you're local to the store, you should pay taxes as you do now. Otherwise you'll be doubling the taxation which in and of itself is illegal. We pay 'federal' taxes when we are paid by our employers (or win big sums of money, etc.). We pay 'state' taxes yearly and/or through sales taxes (often, states with higher sales tax rates don't have state tax collection annually, like Texas).

Any way you look at this; this one is bad... And that's even coming for someone who is usually pro taxes... This one isn't any good though and it should be laughed right out of consideration...

 

[poxenium]

In Romania we have 24% VAT and also shipping costs when we buy from Romanian on-line stores. A 5% increase in price is not catastrophic for the USA, but once it's introduced, they can increase it easily and it's a slippery slope when the government needs money.
In my opinion all Internet-related taxes and costs should be constantly reduced, because the Internet is the only greatest technological advance of the last 20 years. It would be foolish to make internet operations less accessible to the masses. I don't think it's a good idea to force people back to physical stores, because it means wasted time and fuel.

 

[kinggraves]

Dr. Ron, please take over this train before we all go off the cliff.

 

[Martell1977]

Newegg collects sales taxes when I purchase from them because I live in CA and I have no problem with that. I order parts from them all the time due to common free shipping and better prices.

The main reason I don't buy parts from local shops is because they are horribly overpriced....period. I needed a DVD-burner and needed one fast. Local shops were all priced at $60 or more. I decided to find a way to wait and ordered the same brand and model from Newegg for $19. Due to where I live, the drive arrived the next day since I ordered before 3pm and my client was happy to save the $40.

When the "brick and mortar" stores stop trying to rip people off, I will return. I understand they have to pay overhead costs for the store, but how does that make it right to triple the price. I can understand charging a little more, but triple is beyond reasonable.

 

[enewmen]

Living in Singapore there's 10% flat income tax and no sales tax. There is a luxury tax only for cars, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. Also you can have 20% of your income deducted for housing (same pool similar to Social Security) and that's matched 20%. So basically that means 100% of all take-home income (higher than what I made in California) I can spend freely - if I can live without a car..

 

[bourgeoisdude]

Anytime you see the word "fairness" in a bill or proposition, be afraid.

 

[WyomingKnott]

I'm missing the point of most of these messages. Sales tax is supposed to be collected and remitted to the state on sales in most areas of the United States. Period. With online transactions, this is mostly not happening. That's a violation of many, many laws.

The only thing that makes the situation complicated is that, technically, sales tax is supposed to be paid at the rate of, and to, the authority within which the purchased item is _used_. Witness New York State's actions against residents who used to drive to New Jersey to buy clothes with no sales tax. New York followed them and demanded that they pay New York sales taxes.

If I buy a car in Wyoming and drive it home to New York, the sales tax is due in New York. Really. Go look it up.

So these are not new taxes. The various levels of government try, over and over again, to collect taxes that have not been paid, in violation of the relevant laws. Internet tax is not a new tax. It's an attempt to enforce longstanding laws. Unfortunately, the enforcement of those laws becomes very, very complex and difficult when the rate and taxing authority depend on the physical location of the buyer. Imagine the poor online merchant who needs to keep track of how much sales tax he has collected that is due to each state, county, and city in the entire nation.

 

[pazygozo]

I've paid sales tax while buying from florida like tigerdirect or amazon 3rd parties but the articles are being used in Venezuela! i just ship'em to my courier's office. oh and i pay taxes again here

 

[dalethepcman]

I'm glad I live in a city and state with no income or sales tax...

 

[jasonpwns]

This is stupid. I buy stuff from both Brick and Mortar and from online retailers at about an even rate. Adding a sales tax to online payments isn't going to increase sales of Brick and Mortar at all. They get enough sales as it as.

 

[V8VENOM]

For those interested. Being a US citizen and working in the US for 30+ years, I'm now at the point where 65% of what I earn goes to the government and/or my health coverage (I live in CA). Now compare this with say Denmark where 51.5% covers everything including any type of medical treatment (no co-pay, no limits, no restrictions). However, they do have a "Church" tax -- scary but if you don't go to Church apparently you don't have to pay it.

Why Denmark vs. US for Tax, primarily because Denmark is listed as the country with the most "content/happy" population.

But if you want to see "effective" tax rates around the world look at: http://www.taxrates.cc/

 

[sykozis]

[citation][nom]WyomingKnott[/nom]I'm missing the point of most of these messages. Sales tax is supposed to be collected and remitted to the state on sales in most areas of the United States. Period. With online transactions, this is mostly not happening. That's a violation of many, many laws. The only thing that makes the situation complicated is that, technically, sales tax is supposed to be paid at the rate of, and to, the authority within which the purchased item is _used_. Witness New York State's actions against residents who used to drive to New Jersey to buy clothes with no sales tax. New York followed them and demanded that they pay New York sales taxes. If I buy a car in Wyoming and drive it home to New York, the sales tax is due in New York. Really. Go look it up. So these are not new taxes. The various levels of government try, over and over again, to collect taxes that have not been paid, in violation of the relevant laws. Internet tax is not a new tax. It's an attempt to enforce longstanding laws. Unfortunately, the enforcement of those laws becomes very, very complex and difficult when the rate and taxing authority depend on the physical location of the buyer. Imagine the poor online merchant who needs to keep track of how much sales tax he has collected that is due to each state, county, and city in the entire nation.[/citation]

Sales tax is owed to the state in which the sale is made, not the state in which the merchandise is used. Crossing state lines for the sole purpose of dodging sales tax could be considered tax evasion, which would provide New York with the legal ability to collect tax on the sales made in New Jersey to New York residents. In regards to eStores, they can only be required to collect sales tax from customers that reside in any state in which they actively maintain a PHYSICAL PRESENCE. In fact, in 1992, The US Supreme Court ruled that the states had no authority to collect taxes unless both the business and customer have a physical presence within the state's borders.

 

[elbert]

How many stores charges customers taxes for walking in the door? Currently everyone pays taxes on their internet access which I see as an up front tax. Will these taxes make my internet free? How many people will this force to cancel their internet and go back to stores? There are many taxes already collected that could cause a backfire on these four U.S. Senators proposed new law.
I think the four Senators better let these taxes cover online sales.

My children love playing games and doing school work online but I guess taxes are more important.

 

[ravewulf]

The full list of senators on the bill (organized by state, then last name):

(Ark.) John Boozman (R)
(Ark.) Mark Pryor (D)

(Ill.) Dick Durbin (D)

(Mo.) Roy Blunt (R)

(R.I.) Jack Reed (D)
(R.I.) Sheldon Whitehouse (D)

(S.D.) Tim Johnson (D)

(Tenn.) Lamar Alexander (R)
(Tenn.) Bob Corker (R)

(Wyo.) Mike Enzi (R)

 

[drwho1]

free shipping (most times) and tax free and lower prices are what makes me buy anything online.
change that and all online sales will crumble. (if there is no difference from a local store, then why bother)

 

[Naxos]

[citation][nom]elbert[/nom]How many stores charges customers taxes for walking in the door? Currently everyone pays taxes on their internet access which I see as an up front tax. Will these taxes make my internet free? How many people will this force to cancel their internet and go back to stores? There are many taxes already collected that could cause a backfire on these four U.S. Senators proposed new law.I think the four Senators better let these taxes cover online sales.My children love playing games and doing school work online but I guess taxes are more important.[/citation]
The fact of the matter is they do not need any more taxes. They need to learn to spend it properly like the rest of us have to. Most states already make you claim online sales and pay taxes on it. This is not an area the Feds need to get involved in.