08-16-2011, 03:19 PM | #16 | |
Connoisseur
Posts: 71
Karma: 13366
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Terminus
Device: Kindle 3, iPhone
|
Quote:
|
|
08-16-2011, 03:23 PM | #17 |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
|
No one likes paying taxes... I sure don't. But I understand why taxes are needed to fund essential services... and more importantly, what life would be like without those essential services (trust me, you don't want to be living in a place where desperate people, deprived of support, are left to their own devices... and you're in their way).
So yes, I think Amazon should be collecting taxes for products, just like every other operation in the state. And I do think we need a national solution that establishes a ruling for all states. |
Advert | |
|
08-16-2011, 03:32 PM | #18 |
Chasing Butterflies
Posts: 3,132
Karma: 5074169
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: American Southwest
Device: Uses batteries.
|
I predict that we're either going to get a Moderation Warning or a Moved-To-Politics-Forum in 10... 9... 8... 7...
|
08-16-2011, 03:34 PM | #19 | |
Enthusiast
Posts: 38
Karma: 51828
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: way down South in Gawguh!
Device: 9 or so at last count
|
Quote:
From the internet sales, it makes no sense. If I remember the figures from the conference correctly, thre are approximately 15 thousand taxing authorities in the US. That's federal, state, city, county and special tax authority taxes. In those, there are those taxes that aren't full time (some places, for example, give tax holidays on school supply purchases in late summer). The accounting nightmare of collecting, tracking and remitting taxes to those 15 thousand taxing authorities will run anyone out of business. The consensus of opinion of those present? It was not possible to develop software to properly support collection of sales taxes on internet sales. When you're taxed on an internet sale, check the figures. The odds are, the taxes being collected aren't correct. |
|
08-16-2011, 03:35 PM | #20 |
Enthusiast
Posts: 38
Karma: 51828
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: way down South in Gawguh!
Device: 9 or so at last count
|
|
Advert | |
|
08-16-2011, 03:41 PM | #21 |
PHD in Horribleness
Posts: 2,320
Karma: 23599604
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: In the ironbound section, near avenue L
Device: Just a whole bunch. I guess I am a collector now.
|
California has zero problems with tax revenue.
None. Nada. Not any. California has a corrupt and bloated government that over spends. My heart doesn't bleed for California. |
08-16-2011, 04:31 PM | #22 |
Addict
Posts: 288
Karma: 1094000
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Essonne, France
Device: Kobo Forma; Sony PRS600B; Sony 350; Sony T-2
|
Amazon manages just fine over here in Europe. I buy from Amazon UK and Germany (as well as from Amazon France) and they certainly have no problem hitting me for VAT at the appropriate (i.e. French) amount. I fail to understand why they can't do something similar in the US for state sales taxes. (And yeah, I'm originally from the US, and an accountant by trade, so I do know something about the mechanics of all this.)
|
08-16-2011, 04:31 PM | #23 | |
eBookin' Fool
Posts: 310
Karma: 1008360
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Device: Kindle Paperwhite, KK, iPad (Ex Prs 505, 500, Reb1100-2150, Rocket)
|
Quote:
In my opinion, the most cost-intensive part is the remitting. Now, if you had a national sales tax clearing house that supported all the local taxing authorities and could handle bulk remittances from online retailers.... But I guess that's the national solution everyone is looking for. |
|
08-16-2011, 05:24 PM | #24 | |
Enthusiast
Posts: 26
Karma: 50000
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Gainesville, FL
Device: Kindle
|
Selling on Amazon
So are individual retailers supposed to be reporting state sales tax for sales at the Kindle Store? How would we know if the buyer is from our state?
Quote:
|
|
08-16-2011, 06:47 PM | #25 | |
Professional Contrarian
Posts: 2,045
Karma: 3289631
Join Date: Mar 2009
Device: Kindle 4 No Touchie
|
Quote:
As a result of Prop 13, CA tax revenue winds up being largely made up of income taxes, sales taxes and other types of revenues that fall in a recession. So while the economy is tanking and the need for government resources increases, tax revenues fall. Prop 13 isn't single-handedly responsible for the state government's budget crisis, but it certainly hasn't helped. Going after Internet-only retailers for sales taxes, regardless of whether it's justified, won't help much either. |
|
08-18-2011, 08:32 AM | #26 | |
Addict
Posts: 305
Karma: 704492
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: NY
Device: Kindle 3, Kindle DX, Galaxy Tab 2
|
Quote:
I'm tired of paying the tab for the governments wasteful spending. |
|
08-18-2011, 08:52 AM | #27 |
Professor of Law
Posts: 3,640
Karma: 65925980
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kobo Libra H20, Kobo Aura One, KoboMini
|
In my state, the ACLU sued on behalf of amazon and won. In NC, we are supposed to declare how much sales tax we owe on internet purchases. NC was trying to compel Amazon to turn over names and figures so they could proactively collect the tax from people who dont claim it as they should. The ACLU stepped in and sued and won.
http://www.internetretailer.com/2011...les-tax-battle |
08-18-2011, 10:10 AM | #28 | |
Chasing Butterflies
Posts: 3,132
Karma: 5074169
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: American Southwest
Device: Uses batteries.
|
Quote:
The states should NOT be going piecemeal after Amazon shoppers. Good god, what a waste of court dollars that would be. The answer to Amazon being too big to go after ISN'T to go after the shoppers. Ugh. |
|
08-18-2011, 10:12 AM | #29 |
Loves Ellipsis...
Posts: 1,554
Karma: 7899232
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Device: Kobo Wifi (broken), nook STR (returned), Kobo Touch, Sony T1
|
So, what is the solution to Amazon and other internet companies not collecting taxes and their customers not paying the required taxes?
There is a major problem here for those companies that do not have the special status that internet companies have. What about those companies? |
08-18-2011, 10:24 AM | #30 | |
Chasing Butterflies
Posts: 3,132
Karma: 5074169
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: American Southwest
Device: Uses batteries.
|
Quote:
My long term solution would be for a real national solution that will take care of this nonsense once and for all. As you say, it's an unfair advantage in the market. And really, it's not that hard to collect taxes on the seller end -- B&N manages to take my NookBook taxes without a lot of pain and gnashing of teeth. I'm against going after the individual shoppers because the government's overhead and legal costs would FAR outweigh any taxes they'll collect, imho. At that point, it's shooting your nose because your face looked at you funny. |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
A guide to why Amazon is losing the tax battle | L.J. Sellers | News | 10 | 07-06-2011 06:15 PM |
When did Amazon start charging sales tax? | jswinden | Amazon Kindle | 16 | 08-04-2010 09:51 PM |
Sales tax on "agency model" e-books at Amazon | NogDog | Amazon Kindle | 3 | 06-27-2010 02:30 AM |
North Carolina's tax collectors VS Amazon (and us) | SameOldStory | News | 18 | 05-05-2010 04:10 PM |