Taxing Internet Sales on the Horizon?

[Backlighting]

http://news.yahoo.com/tax-free-internet-shopping-jeopardized-063059401.html;_ylt=A2KJ2UZManZR6xcAW6HQtDMD

[jts]

http://www.poeticexpressions.co.uk/poems/the%20tax%20poem.htm

Tax his land, tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.

Tax his cow, tax his goat,
Tax his pants, tax his coat.
Tax his ties, tax his shirts,
Tax his work, tax his dirt.

Tax his chew, tax his smoke,
Teach him taxes are no joke.
Tax his car, tax his grass,
Tax the roads he must pass.

Tax his food, tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his sodas, tax his beers,
If he cries, tax his tears.

Tax his bills, tax his gas,
Tax his notes, tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers, tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.

Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"
And when he's gone, we won't relax,

We'll still be after the inheritance tax.

[jts]

http://news.yahoo.com/tax-free-internet-shopping-jeopardized-063059401.html;_ylt=A2KJ2UZManZR6xcAW6HQtDMD

The evil powers have no choice but to try to either shut down or control the internet, because the internet is the main defence against tyranny. They have no choice but to try. How well they succeed remains to be seen.

[syrakusos]

Get the facts. Have you ever bought anything online? Amazon routinely collects state sales tax.

We saw this when we lived in Michigan. I now live in Texas. I just bought three seasons of The Guild and paid Texas state sales tax 6.25% and two separate Austin city sales taxes of 1% each for a total of 8.25% and the tax was computed after the shipping charges were added to the sale.

They are not required to do so. They just do because it makes their lives easier in the long run. It is more expensive for them to dream that they evade the intention of the laws, so they face reality and accordingly. You should, too.

This business http://www.zip2tax.com/ and this company http://www.avalara.com/ are just two that make it easy for mail order companies to comply with the laws.

By the way, just, you know, theoretically speaking, how would you pay for police (and military), courts (and jails and prisons), and streets (and sewers), to say nothing of all of the other things you enjoy? User fees for everything? It might work. So, if you are being robbed and call for the police, they will not show up until you pay. It is a theory I've heard.

[Mark]

Good grief. Yes, let's say nothing of the other things we enjoy!

Even if not as much as the federal level state governments are bloated. The cost of the legitimate work of the police, courts, jails and prisons is a small fraction of the taxes (direct and indirect) you are forced to pay. The state pays men too much for legitimate work, uses too many men for legitimate work, does work that's legitimate but the state should not be doing it, does "work" that is illegitimate.

Plenty of room for spending cuts, some states more than others.

[Backlighting]

The looters (politicians) supporting the internet tax cry out that they want to level the playing field.
Well, if that's the case then reduce or eliminate the taxes collected by the brick & mortar shops.
What they are really all about is increasing the scope of the looting.

[syrakusos]

The question is one of federalism centered on "full faith and credit" of Article IV Section 1. Historically, of course, states did not collect taxes for each other, but they could, nothing would have stopped it. A retail sales tax is just that.

I understand the slogan "taxation is theft" but I have never read any plan that works better, short of actually doing away with all government. If you want police, army, and courts, you have to pay for them. Taxation is painful. It is meant to be. When you tax sales, then everyone pays. Of course, the poor pay proportionately more; sales taxes are regressive. Income taxes are more fair and equitable in theory, though the practice seems troubled. I know of no good way to do this. So, we take the least bad way -- again, short of doing without government entirely. Life on Earth may come to that... a utopia of Reason with no religion and no government, no altruism ... or public streets...

[Frediano]

"...2% for looking the mirror twice..."

Michael:

Of course we need to pay for necessary government. But how long are we going to keep falling for the following argument?

1] We need plumbing, and it needs to be paid for.

2] Therefore, plumbers are emperors, can charge whatever they want, and can set their fees based on any whim whatosoever. After all...we need plumbing.

JFK's AMerica of 180 million paid for $100B of 'necessary government' over half of which was for defense at the peak of the Cold War.

The current America of 320 million is paying for $3800B of 'necessary government' and the Cold War has been over for over twenty years.

JFK's $100B population and inflation/CPI adjusts to -maybe- $1500B/yr today of 'necessary government.'

It isn't even close; we are grossly spending more on 'necessary governent' today than JFK's economies-- the ones that last roared.

The once untested -theory- that public borrowing and spending was interchangeable on a $ for $ basis for private borrowing and spending is being expensively proved out; but the ever larger government at any cost whatever crowd is clinging to this dead horse until AMerica is bleeding from the a$$.

Public borrowing and spending is clearly not the same as private borrowing and spending in terms of economic results. The only remaining question is -- and America can beat the current deadhorse as long as it wants -- is how long will it take America to figure this one out? If ever.

THere are plenty of reasons why this is the case -- when we take on public debt, who wakes up the next day with any incentive at all to pay off that debt in the future?

Compare that to the incentives associated with private debt.

Private debt is an investment in future economies; public debt could be ... but under the discipline of no discipline whatsoever, is not.

regards,

Fred

,

[Southern Capitalist]

Hard to believe one of the reasons the revolutionary war was fought was due to raising taxes. Now its a government yearly tradition.

[BaalChatzaf]

Hard to believe one of the reasons the revolutionary war was fought was due to raising taxes. Now its a government yearly tradition.

Tut, tut. We have taxation WITH representation.

Ba'al Chatzaf