The idea that a New York outfit should collect Florida sales tax is so absurd it could only come from left-wingers.
Rather than any real political plus for any party, I think what it reveals is the madness of not having country-wide common laws and tax regulations.
Not paying tax has created an unfair advantage for online retailers. While it might have made some sense in the beginning of online activities, to spur the growth, it hardly makes sense now
So I guess the fact that a small retailer in Nebraska who sells a unique product by mail must now know the state, county and city sales tax rates for East Overshoe in Backwater county, Oregon, collect for all three political entities, obtain and fill out tax submission forms and mail in the tax for all three: maybe $.12 for Oregon, $.04 for Backwater County, and $.08 for the City of East Overshoe. No sweat. Any small retailer has plenty of spare time and extra postage money for this kind of crap. I know, because there was a time when my wife had that kind of business. Had she had to collect sales tax for the thousands of taxing entities in the U.S. she’d have simply dumped the whole thing and gone out of business.
South Dakota affords small merchants a reasonable degree of protection. The law at issue requires a merchant to collect the tax only if it does a considerable amount of business in the State; the law is not retroactive; and South Dakota is a party to the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement. . . . *
Russ, you have a point on complications. However, it is a matter of setting up a centralized national data base of various sales tax rates by county, to which retailers would have access. It can be completely automated. Just like postage, based on zip code.
The Supreme Court's opinion acknowledged this concern. It noted that reasonably-priced software to make interstate tax collection relatively effortless is likely to soon become available. It also pointed out that the statute which was the subject of the Court's ruling, a South Dakota law requiring Internet businesses to collect sales tax on the state's behalf, was explicitly crafted to ameliorate its effect on small businesses:
From what I've read the other states that have passed statutes requiring out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax from their residents also have exempted businesses unless their residents account for a substantial volume of sales. The states have an interest in not crafting their statutes too broadly because, as the Court pointed out, businesses that are unduly burdened by a requirement to collect taxes from the residents of other states continue to have legal remedies available under earlier judicial opinions interpreting the commerce clause that have not been overruled by the South Dakota ruling.
I probably missed something - do we have political discussions allowed again ?
Yes. The floodgates were reopened about a month ago (https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=129797.msg1102574#msg1102574).
Free markets sound great in theory but they do not always work that way.
True; although the flow has been more of a trickle than a flood.
Jeremy
Rob, first of all, remember that there is no such thing as a free market. Every market is deliberately or inadvertently manipulated in some way, shape, or form. The problem usually being subsidies, tax-reduction, prohibition, or other government intervention. T
So I guess the fact that a small retailer in Nebraska who sells a unique product by mail must now know the state, county and city sales tax rates for East Overshoe in Backwater county, Oregon, collect for all three political entities, obtain and fill out tax submission forms and mail in the tax for all three: maybe $.12 for Oregon, $.04 for Backwater County, and $.08 for the City of East Overshoe.
In terms of camera retailers I've never been better served or had more choice than I have now.
I can choose between smaller independent specialist dealers or larger outlets providing a vast array of manufacturer's goods. They all have good knowledge of product and exemplary service. They all have bricks and mortar shops as well as efficient online outlets. They all offer competitive pricing. All the above are trading today because they offer all of these qualities.
It's all too easy to crave a return to that oft remembered golden era in the mists of time, but I'll stick with the now and the reality.
Small point of order. "East Overshoe", Oregon, like the rest of the state, has no sales tax.
Maybe a better example would have been South Overshoe, LA? After all, Louisiana (a red state) has the highest combined state and local sales tax in the nation. :D
Carry on.
That's what's called the north/south divide, and why there is a Scottish Nationalist party. Economic shit hardy affects the greater London basin, and why everything in Britain is increasingly London-centric. You have no idea, you southies. Northwards from Watford lies a hard country(ies).
;-)
Thanks, Arlen. But I'd rather stick with good ol' East Overshoe. It makes the points that first: the state, county and city will spend more to mail the tax forms than they'll receive in tax, and second: the merchant is going to spend more in postage to mail the tax than the amount of the tax...
That's what happens as you get older.
And you want back there?
;-)
Cross-state tax differences can't be a new thing. How was it handled in the mail order business back in the day?
If the problem arises because of the ambiguous physical location of the place you are purchasing from, that's a consequence of political jurisdictions not keeping up with the interweb. Maybe politicians should stop screaming at each other on Twitter and figure these things out, since that's what they are paid to do. The web has been around for long enough now.
Cross-state tax differences can't be a new thing. How was it handled in the mail order business back in the day?
Then sellers on online market places like eBay and Etsy will also be required to collect taxes, if they don’t already. I would think those two and others would benefit by helping the sellers with some system that would automate tax rates.