<sarcasm>Well that sounds fair.</sarcasm>
<sarcasm>Well that sounds fair.</sarcasm>
Is it exactly fair...NO. But think of it this way who has enough money and in house tech people to be able to handle charging tax on purchases in multiple states.
There are large payment companies that handle the shopping cart but it's not always that way and figuring how to charge tax as well as keep up with tax rates for the little guys is much more costly so they end up just saying "Hey we don't ship to a state that charges sales tax." On top of that having sellers who have maybe one or two purchases come through in a year then have to deal with a ton of extra paperwork and the state has to process that paperwork to get less than ten bucks a lot of times and maybe be lucky to get a couple hundred. How much does it cost the state to deal with the paperwork? By the time they deal with a small guy the state will probably end up with a net loss.
There are large payment companies that handle the shopping cart but it's not always that way and figuring how to charge tax as well as keep up with tax rates for the little guys is much more costly so they end up just saying "Hey we don't ship to a state that charges sales tax." On top of that having sellers who have maybe one or two purchases come through in a year then have to deal with a ton of extra paperwork and the state has to process that paperwork to get less than ten bucks a lot of times and maybe be lucky to get a couple hundred. How much does it cost the state to deal with the paperwork? By the time they deal with a small guy the state will probably end up with a net loss.
I've nothing against the small guy ... and will generally go local if I can. My problem is that "most of the time" the purchases I make online are for things that simply aren't available locally. The old "we can order it for you" doesn't work since normally I can order it myself and have it more quickly.
Frankly I attempted to read through the thing and I'm not even sure what it "really" covers the language and definitions are so convoluted - makes me think what we really need is a state law to say that state laws need to be written in plain language. But it looks to me like it's just going to be "feel good" legislation. The only people who it's going to cost are we end consumers, which in turn just means that any of us who do business online will have even less money to spend locally.
Anyway, it's sort of like the feds ... they're gonna do what they're gonna do, and in the end it's going to end up screwing the folks at the bottom out of a few more dollars.
I'm just curious though.... why ask if it's wrong if you're not going to do anything about it? If you know a guy is committing a crime and ripping people off in the gun community, what's the integrity in being a bystander?
I simply wanted to know if it was legit, or not. That question got answered. Not every wrong is worth the fight to correct it. I hardly think my integrity is the question. In reality, my mind has not completely decided what to do, but I wasn't going to blow and go about I was gonna do this, or I was gonna do that.
Given what you say is true, and I believe it is...... What do you think the right thing to do is when someone knows and has proof that someone is collecting a fraudulent tax on members of the gun community? We pay enough taxes as it is, then if nobody ever comes forward, more people get ripped off or probably extorted to some extent. I'd wager he won't complete the transaction to those that refuse to pay the "tax." Either way, I guess I just don't see the honor in being a spectator in this case.
The current version of the bill would apply to all online sales, not just the large retailers like Amazon.
That said... that bill would not protect local retailers at all. Amazon et al. have something called "scale" on their side. The compliance cost for them isn't high, while the compliance cost could be much more significant for a local retailer who wants to sell online.
Even then, sales tax on a retail website is relatively easy to handle these days. There are several service providers that handle the calculations for you (which can be different depending on +4 zip, product or service type, day, etc.). They can even file the paperwork for you - sometimes for free (they have arrangements with the states to take a percentage off the top). Most states, including Oklahoma, provide a certain level of legal amnesty if you use a certified service provider.
I came on here to ask a question in order to satisfy my own concern, not to be lectured to by you about my honor and integrity, of which I assure you is safe and intact. At this point, mind your own business! It is my issue and I'll deal with it the way I choose!
So I raise questions what to do if someone is committing tax fraud on members of the gun community.... and you tell me to mind my own business? That's great lol.
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