mas24 Loc: Southern CA

The Supreme Court Ruled 5-4 today that States that have Sales Tax, can force you to pay Sales Tax on online purchases. Some States already have this requirement. Colorado is one. Actually, you should already be paying this, when you file you State Income Tax. Sometimes guessing. States had been complaining that online purchases were robbing them of billions of dollars in tax revenues. Now, the Supreme Court has taken action in behalf of the States. More information: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/06/21/supreme-court-allows-sales-taxes-online-purchases/699556002/

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

Yep anything to give government more money than they already have. We need to cut their salaries. They took that power away from us many years ago. At both federal and state levels. I think it was either my great grand parents or my great, great parents. Somewhere in the very late 1800's I think it was. Congress said we the people had no idea as to how much money they should be paid nor how much money they should get so they enacted laws to insure that they would control their payroll not we the people.

Gemeader Loc: NW WA state ( upper left hand corner)

It was only a matter of time. And I for one am not too opposed to it. Lots of brick and mortar stores are struggling as well as state budgets. I see no need for a carve out exemption for interstate sales. IMHO.

PH CIB

I just purchased a Recumbent Tricycle,,,,went to a Bike Shop in Chariton, Iowa,, the Yankee Pedaler ,,,,where they had a great selection of bicycles and trikes and helpful, friendly and professional staff,,,two Great Guys !! I test drove the Ice Sprint FS 26,,,HP Velotechnik FS 26, Azub Tricon RS 26,,,Greenspeed Magnum and an Electric Assist Cattrike Trike,,,,all around town up and down hills,,,across extremely bumpy railroad tracks and cobblestones....sure I could have found the one that I wanted and ordered it online saving sales tax and one place actually had free shipping,,,,but that to me lacked Honor,,,,the Men at the Bike Shop had shown Great Customer Service and how do You put a price tag on a Great Hands on Experience,,,,I bought the Ice Sprint FS 26 paid the Iowa Sales Tax and in a few months I will be going back and buying the HP Velotechnik FS 26 for my Wife.....

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Online retailers, who haven't been required to collect sales tax up until now, have been depending on people buying from them and not paying the required use tax to their states, because of the difficulty in enforcing the law. This decision just levels the playing field and will help local merchants. Of course the local merchants will have to provide good prices and service to take advantage of it.

alby Loc: very eastern pa.

Of course.... it's a 5 - 4 Supreme Court.... but it makes it more fair

Charlie'smom

Will you be doing RAGBRAI next week? I did it for a few years many years ago, but if I was so inclined again, I’d have to have one of those assist Cattrikes.

My better half bought a Cattrike last year at our local brick and mortor shop. She, too, could have saved tax by buying online, but customer service is well worth paying tax, especially since she’s needed adjustments.

Enjoy!

PH CIB

That Electric Assist Cattrike would be perfect for Ragbrai,,,,one Hill in Chariton I did on the Ice Trike and the HP Trike the Azub Trike and the Greenspeed Trike all with normal gearing at the top of the Hill my Heart each time was beating a mile a minute and I was huffing and puffing like a steam engine,,,,with the Electric Cattrike,,,,my heartbeat did not go up at all my breathing stayed normal and that steep hill seemed as easy as pedaling on the flat,,,,will definitely be putting on electric assist on my Trikes in the next few years I am 71 years old,,,,not doing RAGBRAI this year as Wife and I and her parents who have never been there are heading out West to the Grand Canyon and Utah,,,,have Fun Bicycling with Your Wife on her Cattrike,,,a Great Bike !!!

blue-ultra Loc: New Hampshire

I live in New Hampshire. We do not have a state Income tax or a State sales tax. Our legislature is forced to have a balanced budget and they do. Enough with the government taking our hard earned dollars so they can spend it and tell us how kind and wonderful they are.

I am not say we don't pay taxes, we do! But sales and income taxes a double dipping...

Remember we fought a revolution over this nonsense, and won!

"Live Free or Die"

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

But it wasn't the usual liberal/conservative split.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

That is because they cannot get Amazon and Ebay etc to pay their taxes.....
So they pick on the little person......

How can they police this?

Yes I'm in the UK, but the same problem occurs where 'foreign' online sites 'muddle' their taxes and 'joe public' is expected to accept less and be honest at the same time.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Yes, we are all knowledgeable about salaries and benefits. I am willing to work for the sometimes cumbersome bureaucracy known as the Veteran's Health Administration in a setting that could actually put my life in danger only because they offer a salary that is ALMOST competitive with that I could get in the private sector.

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

Note that the decision wasn’t partisan.

f8lee Loc: New Mexico

The thing is, 20+ years ago the law was implemented that allowed online sellers to not have to collect taxes (unless they had a 'nexus' in the state in question) in an effort to help the (at that time) fledgeling startup internet sellers a chance to run their businesses without having to go through the monumental task of dealing with the thousands of tax schemes in the US. While I've purchased plenty of stuff online over the years, it does seem past due to take away that special break today.

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

There are significant problems and unintended consequences that will arise from this money grab by those who govern and wish to redistribute wealth. In 1992 the Supreme Court ruled in the Quill case that a merchant is not required to collect sales tax unless the merchant has a tax nexus (physical presence) in that state. A tax nexus would include a retail store, office, or warehouse. Some issues that arise:
• It's difficult to monitor. How does a state track all of the millions of transactions going through the Internet every day and decide which are by companies with a presence in the state?
• The more aggressive the state gets in pursuing this issue, the more likely it is that they will lose businesses. A business in northern California, for instance, could just pick up and move to Oregon, which has no state sales tax. Multiply that one business by thousands and you can see that the state's hoped-for revenue increase might vanish quickly.
• Customers can avoid paying sales taxes by using a forwarding service. For example, a company in Oregon forwards purchases (no state sales tax in Oregon) to help customers avoid high sales taxes on Internet transactions.

This nationwide push in state capitols to slap online sales taxes on out-of-state retailers—a simple tax grab disguised as a matter of high-minded principle. Affected businesses are all but guaranteed to sue in federal court. Online retailers, would have to calculate and apply sales taxes across the entire nation—and roughly 10,000 jurisdictions have such taxes. Apparently that’s a small price to pay for the state lawmakers who hope to benefit from the resulting revenue windfall.

Complying with this convoluted system would necessarily raise costs for consumers and stifle competition. While software exists to help ease this burden, the trade association True Simplification of Taxation estimates it will cost businesses between $80,000 and $290,000 to implement, with further annual maintenance costs of between $57,500 and $260,000. That’s a pittance for major online retailers, but a fortune for smaller companies and startups. Some companies—especially smaller firms—may even stop selling in states where the burdens are worst.

Let's call out this coordinated campaign for what it truly is: a thinly veiled attempt by politicians to dig even deeper into their constituents’ pockets.