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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> How many $ did you spend without paying sales tax?
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 04/16/2006 02:22:12 AM · #1
I ask this question because of a news story I seen today. I did not know that most states (USA) require you to pay tax on INTERNET purchases that you did not pay when purchased. The tax rate is the same as your counties tax.


04/16/2006 02:25:08 AM · #2
Dell charges sales tax, as do a few others. Usually if they have a store in your state they charge you sales tax (like walmart.com, sears.com, etc) but not always.

I live a few miles from the state line and on furniture it used to be common to buy over the line and get delivery and skip the sales tax.

I don't think i know anyone that voluntarily pays the sales tax.
 04/16/2006 02:35:15 AM · #3
Most states have what they call " Use tax" that requires you to pay tax on all purchases that sales tax was not collected by the seller. There are some exceptions but not much.

On our local news today (being tax day) they had an story about this tax, which I had never known about, say that states are going to start looking at this very closely starting this year. They claim stats are loosing Billions of dollars in lost taxes.

To find out if your state has a " use tax law " - google "use tax" +your state.

Like here in GA if I purchased say $5000.00 in photography equipment I would have to file a form 511 and pay the taxes within 30 days of the purchase to avoid a $50.00 late fee.

EXAMPLE:
$5000.00 Purchase
x0000.07 Tax %
------------------
$350.00 tax due.
 04/16/2006 06:25:21 AM · #4
is really nothing right that your goverment does ?

why dou you have to file a taxform for something you bought ? it shouldn't be your job, if the store doesn't collect the tax then you shouldn't have to pay it.

here in Iceland there is a VAT on all items in all stores, you always pay the tax and the store always collect it and return it to state, you never have to think about wether you paid the tax or not.

all imported items with value over $100 gets the tax added and you pay the tax and custom when you get the item delivered, you never have to fill out any forms and are never responsible for the delivery of the taxpayment to state.

it's the same with taxes on salary, the emloyer deducts the taxes from the salary and returns it to state, and when you have to file your taxreport you just go online and log in to the taxmans webpage and file your report there, if you havn't bought or sold a realestate in the past year then your report is already filled out and you only have to click OK and your done :)

and in August you either get a check for overpaid taxes, or a note that states how much you must pay and how long you have to pay it.. usually spread over the next 6-8 months.

very simple system where the public is saved from the agony of having to save up for tax season, and saved from the responibility of paying the taxes.. it's all included in prices everywere ;)
 04/16/2006 07:32:46 AM · #5
Hmmmm....I paid $1850 to the state this year...single, claimed 1 on W2. I still had to send them $36!!! But then again here in CO, alot of morons voted to let the state keep all our taxes, for whatever they want to use it for. Wonder what they will think about that now? hahaha
 04/16/2006 09:02:59 AM · #6
Originally posted by DanSig:
is really nothing right that your goverment does ?


Rant folder's over that way, Dan.

~Terry

Message edited by author 2006-04-16 09:03:49.
 04/16/2006 09:07:36 AM · #7
Originally posted by Southern Gentleman:


Like here in GA if I purchased say $5000.00 in photography equipment I would have to file a form 511 and pay the taxes within 30 days of the purchase to avoid a $50.00 late fee.

EXAMPLE:
$5000.00 Purchase
x0000.07 Tax %
------------------
$350.00 tax due.


I paid Ga thousands last year and still drive on bad roads.If they did a better job a getting business in the small citys like mine then we wouldn't have to buy on the internet. the only place to buy a camera in town is wal-mart.
 04/16/2006 09:07:59 AM · #8
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
Originally posted by DanSig:
is really nothing right that your goverment does ?


Rant folder's over that way, Dan.

~Terry


just thought I'd mention it.. there seems to pop up a few threads every week about all kinds of things the US goverment is doing and Americans are unhappy with, but I havn't noticed a single thread about a complaint against any other goverment in the world here on DPC, even though members are from most countries in the world ;)

just found it funny when I tought about it.. specially when I hear people say that America is the greatest country in the world to live in ;)
 04/16/2006 09:10:30 AM · #9
Our ability to complain makes it great :)
 04/16/2006 09:23:56 AM · #10
Originally posted by DanSig:
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
Originally posted by DanSig:
is really nothing right that your goverment does ?


Rant folder's over that way, Dan.

~Terry


just thought I'd mention it.. there seems to pop up a few threads every week about all kinds of things the US goverment is doing and Americans are unhappy with, but I havn't noticed a single thread about a complaint against any other goverment in the world here on DPC, even though members are from most countries in the world ;)

just found it funny when I tought about it.. specially when I hear people say that America is the greatest country in the world to live in ;)


Iceland is slightly smaller than Kentucky, an average size state in the US, and one of 50 at that. It has a population of 299,388, or about 1/3 of the city that I live in.

Don't take this as an attack on Iceland - it isn't meant to be at all. The point that I want to make is that with such a large, diverse, and populated country like the U.S., you are bound to have differing views and opinions on just about everything. One of our strengths has been our ability to argue and debate and respect others opinions, and keep moving forward.

Don't mistake complaints about things our government may do with us complaining that it is "broken". Cycles of criticism and improvement are the way things work.
 04/16/2006 09:33:38 AM · #11
Originally posted by Nobody:
]

Iceland is slightly smaller than Kentucky, an average size state in the US, and one of 50 at that. It has a population of 299,388, or about 1/3 of the city that I live in.

Don't take this as an attack on Iceland - it isn't meant to be at all. The point that I want to make is that with such a large, diverse, and populated country like the U.S., you are bound to have differing views and opinions on just about everything. One of our strengths has been our ability to argue and debate and respect others opinions, and keep moving forward.

Don't mistake complaints about things our government may do with us complaining that it is "broken". Cycles of criticism and improvement are the way things work.


yes but there are also members here from India and China, both countries outnumber USA about 5 to1, they combined are about 40-50% of the worlds population, yet not a single complaint from them ;) even though we know from world news that there are many things wrong in both countries, they still don't think it's something to complain about on DPC....
 04/16/2006 09:36:48 AM · #12
if someone from China complained about their government here, I am pretty sure that they wouldn't be here for long....

You obviously don't get it.
 04/16/2006 09:37:25 AM · #13
We're breaking away from the original topic here. If you wish to continue this branch of the discussion, you're welcome to do so; however please start a new thread for it.

Thanks,
Terry
 04/16/2006 09:52:48 AM · #14
The real problem with sales tax--and probably with VAT--it that it is regressive. People with lower incomes pay a higher portion of that income in sales tax. In some states, even food and clothing are taxed!
 04/16/2006 10:26:03 AM · #15
I would NEVER buy anything from the internet, and not fill out a local tax form and pay local tax on that purchase! That is like robbing from your county and your community. I always fill out the form as soon as I get my receipt from wherever I ordered the merchandise from.

- David Paull. SS# 196-983-2395.

THEY ARE LISTENING
 04/16/2006 10:51:03 AM · #16
I believe I saw the statistic for the Use Tax is a few dollars collected for every $10,000 that is owed. There comes a point where the tax is unfair in its application. To pay the Use Tax currently would be to impose a tax on the overly honest. States are doing next to nothing to collect the tax.

When this changes, then I'll start paying, although it's moot because I ship to Oregon which has no sales tax anyway.
 04/16/2006 12:01:12 PM · #17
If you are fortunate enough to live next to a sales tax free state (i.e., Delaware), you could make your purchases while *ahem* on a driving vacation there. :-)

Message edited by author 2006-04-16 12:01:27.
 04/16/2006 12:20:37 PM · #18
I read a little while ago about some states going after people who bought cigarettes online and avoided paying taxes. It had to do with accessing ATF required sales records. The states not only went after the tobacco taxes, they also collected sales/use taxes. In some cases, people were being sent bills for thousands of dollars.


04/16/2006 12:31:04 PM · #19
Originally posted by SJCarter:
If you are fortunate enough to live next to a sales tax free state (i.e., Delaware), you could make your purchases while *ahem* on a driving vacation there. :-)


Yeah but how do you explain those B&H and Fedex records they have in their hand when asking? :-))
 04/16/2006 12:41:28 PM · #20
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
I believe I saw the statistic for the Use Tax is a few dollars collected for every $10,000 that is owed. There comes a point where the tax is unfair in its application. To pay the Use Tax currently would be to impose a tax on the overly honest. States are doing next to nothing to collect the tax.

When this changes, then I'll start paying, although it's moot because I ship to Oregon which has no sales tax anyway.


That's one of the things I love about Oregon. No sales tax. Of course I think all our other taxes are insanely high, but then again I'm cheap and it sure seems like we need 'em the way the state throws money away (stupid air tram).
 04/16/2006 03:43:58 PM · #21
In Texas, the only time I have to pay tax on internet purchases is if the company I'm purchasing from has a "brick-n-morter" presence in the state.
 04/16/2006 04:08:47 PM · #22
Originally posted by dleach:
In Texas, the only time I have to pay tax on internet purchases is if the company I'm purchasing from has a "brick-n-morter" presence in the state.


Actually...after looking it up it appears we are supposed to be sending in tax for things we buy online or have shipped across state lines to us as well. Look here about halfway down, under the topic "Occasional Use Tax Return" and you'll see this: " If you purchased goods or taxable services from an out-of-state vendor who did not collect Texas tax, you owe Texas use tax. We designed the Occasional Use Tax Return (form number 01-156) to give you a simple way to pay any use tax on Internet or mail order purchases and on goods purchased while traveling out of state. You can fill out the form online, print and mail it with your payment directly to the Comptroller. For more information, see the detailed instructions provided with the form."

Eek.
04/16/2006 04:10:08 PM · #23
I live in Taxachussetts this is a painful subject.....
greg
04/16/2006 04:19:40 PM · #24
*Art Roflmao, undercover IRS agent, taking notes...*

Deapee: honest, upstanding, taxpaying. No audit.
Still working on building a case against the others...
 04/16/2006 04:29:23 PM · #25
Originally posted by laurielblack:
We designed the Occasional Use Tax Return (form number 01-156) to give you a simple way to pay any use tax on Internet or mail order purchases and on goods purchased while traveling out of state.

Eek.


so if you go to Louisiana and buy something you have to pay their sales tax and then pay Texas too! yikes
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