jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

Getting back to the topic at hand... The Supreme Court decision specifically addresses e-commerce merchants who bill more than $100,000 per year or have more than 200 out of state transactions per year. This covers most of the businesses that we discuss here. It is up to the State to determine how they choose to collect the tax. More likely, the merchant will be responsible to collect and submit payments. State auditors will be busy.
Contrary to contrarians; I believe this is good for all communities. Local businesses always needed to address their client's needs and service them in a responsible and proactive manner. B&H started like this and expanded to e-commerce when the opportunity was presented. Most high end products are priced by the manufacturer and limit their dealers to minimum pricing. ('Under a Unilateral Policy (or "Colgate Policy" or "Unilateral Minimum Retail Price Policy") a manufacturer, without any agreement with the reseller, announces a minimum resale price and refuses to make further sales to any reseller that sells below the announced price.'). Therefore, they are selling the product at the same price as our local retailer, but have avoided charging tax. We, as consumers, have readily taken advantage of this. Leveling the playing field again gives the local retailer the ability to earn your loyalty and trust. Look around your local business districts and see how many stores have gone out of business over the last 10 years. Of course, many deserved to close; but others were forced out of business because of the unfair advantage that e-commerce provided. Now they do not have the same excuse and must concentrate on what needs to be done to make them successful.

tenor57

There is no competitive pricing. Everyone is charging MSRP. Do you know of any retailer selling a non-grey nikon D850 for less than $3295?

tenor57

Or, you will see “we’ll pay the tax” advertisements. ( which I have already seen)

Diocletian

I just love statistics that prove my point. And they are remarkably easy to find, n'est pas?

😂😂😂

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I don't complain about taxes, for a couple of reasons.

1) Our budget is always a shambles - with infrastructure, schools, and other usual state budget items now approaching Appalachian levels of neglect. We simply don't have enough tax revenue to peform the tasks that need to be done.

2) The property tax is extremely regressive, especially hard on seniors. In addition, in the rural parts of the state most low income households own or rent small homes or mobile homes. These sectors are particularly hard hit by the property tax. The sales tax is even more regressive than that, hitting the lowest income households the hardest, especially if applied to items like food and clothing. I'm in the minority of Granite Staters who favor an income tax - whether flat or progressive, it's fairer than most other methods.

In general, I don't think most people consider all of the negative effects of a sales tax. My small hope from this ruling is that economists and financial experts smarter than I am will start thinking about what the sales tax really does, and its many negative effects on so many levels.

That remains to be seen, however, and my hopes aren't high.

Andy

gwilliams6

Partly why I just moved from New Jersey.

kerry12 Loc: Harrisburg, Pa.

My daughter is in the same position. Lives in New Hampshire and works in Mass.

GreenDruid Loc: Toronto, Canada

Ouch!!! That hurts.

PMW603

👍🏻

alx Loc: NJ

And I am counting the days till I can retire to Costa Rica. There is a saying in NJ... The best view in the state is the sign on the highway that says "You are now leaving New Jersey." We are about to face a sales tax increase, and the gasoline tax that was supposed to pay for road repairs keeps going up and getting diverted from fixing/maintaining our deteriorating highways and other roads resulting in the hidden tax - increasing auto repairs.

InfiniteISO Loc: The Carolinas, USA

If the minimum retail price has enough profit in it to support the overhead of local retailers this may help. Because of economies of scale, established E-commerce photo shops are going to still have quite an advantage over a mom and pop shop. Not to mention that in most small communities the local camera shop is already extinct. I don't think this tax change in going to cause a resurgence of local retail establishments.

Sadly, greedy local governments are their own worst enemy when it comes to destroying local businesses with endless fees and regulations. The news yesterday said this tax issue involved not only the 46 states that had income tax, but also 12,000 additional taxing authorities within those states.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Nothing to do with the American laws, but living in Canada, I have on occasion ordered items from B&H, when these items were not available from "the locals."
I have a huge thank-you for B&H, for their willingness to collect Canadian provincial and federal sales taxes, as well as customs fees. B&H give me the choice of having them charge these taxes and duties, or not - if not, I'll have to pay them when the parcel arrives. Plus $10 fee customs to collect...
THANK YOU, B&H, and other businesses that will do this for Canadians!

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Well, for me in Calif. I've been paying Sales Tax for Amazon purchases for years. Nothing new there. If by taxing currently out of state sellers where CA is loosing Tax revenue I'm all for it if it slow down the rise in CA Sales Tax rates.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Perhaps the real question is will Chinese Sellers have to collect US States' Sales Taxes, probably not!

GreenDruid Loc: Toronto, Canada

No. It won't help small camera shops to reappear. Only few more golfing trips to Mar-a-lago.