Amazon to Begin Collecting Sales Tax from California Customers by Niki2

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Amazon to Begin Collecting Sales Tax from California Customers

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Monday, September 17, 2012 07:13
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Saturday, September 15, 2012 4:17 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Quote:
Online retailer Amazon.com has tried to become all things to all consumers, but in California, it is about to take on a role it has fought against for years: tax collector.

The change, which takes effect this weekend, comes after years of bitter back and forth between the world’s largest online mall and the California Legislature over whether Internet retailers should have to charge sales tax. The two sides reached a deal in 2011 that included a one-year grace period set to end Saturday.

Damn, damn and double damn. Tho' I suppose they'll manage to make it nationwide eventually, this is one place where I'm not pleased that we're "ahead of the curve"!

Or are there other states where they've managed it? I don't know, but I'm sad to see one of the few tax-free venues die a quiet death.

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Saturday, September 15, 2012 5:35 AM

FREMDFIRMA

The greed of governments is limitless, as is their appetite.
I forsee Amazon eventually buying them off - cause having to pay sales tax on each and every transaction no matter how small *WILL* put people off, and *WILL* put a crimp in their market and profits.
What'll likely happen in the end is that it will still get collected, just in such a way as to not be visible to the customer, most like, the merchants may add it in, or something, maybe.

Thing is, folks get used to doing things a certain way, and then they go to the checkout page and suddenly they have to pay tax, they're going to feel ripped off and reach for the cancel button in droves, this has happened EVERY time so far.
It's more about perception than reality here, for if the tax was included prior to that and paid out via Amazon or the Merchant, the customer would hardly notice - but ambushing them with it in such a fashion results in transaction-kill a substantial part of the time.

Amazon is well aware of this, believe it.

-Frem

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Saturday, September 15, 2012 7:06 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Amazon has been collecting sales tax from Texas customers for a while now.

I don't mind paying it *IF* it's actually going to the state and being used for what it's supposed to be used for. If I buy local, I'd be paying it anyway.

Many big-box stores COLLECT the sales tax (WalMart, Target, Best Buy, Cabellas, etc.), but the government lets them keep it instead of paying it to the state like they're supposed to. Couple that with the multi-year property tax abatements they receive, and you have a built-in unfair competitive advantage over actual small businesses.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Sunday, September 16, 2012 6:59 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Wow, Mike, I didn't know about the big-box stores getting that particularl little gimme!

Personally, I don't think sales tax will deter many. The internet is solidly accepted as a marketplace and so many use it, I just don't see sales tax being much of a deterrent. For me personally, when I do a search for something, I look immediately to the SHIPPING FEES (!), which more often than not, put the actual price even higher than the IRL retail price! Pisses me off mightily, and I know some people use "shipping and handling fees" as profit...I would assume that's one way they could disguise the sales tax. But that or any other method, as I see it, won't stop opeople from buying.

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Monday, September 17, 2012 5:10 AM

CAVETROLL

As long as they aren't trying to charge me sales tax when I live in a no sales tax state. Interstate commerce laws would forbid another state from collecting taxes from me. Only the feral, err, federal government can collect taxes across state lines.

Kwindbago, hot air and angry electrons

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Monday, September 17, 2012 5:25 AM

STORYMARK

Hell, I just assumed they were the same as other mail-order services, and you had to pay tax if you are from the same state the order ships from. So, things are now like I figured they were to begin with. Means nothing to me in the long run, really.

Note to anyone - Please pity the poor, poor wittle Rappyboy. He's feeling put upon lately, what with all those facts disagreeing with what he believes.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Monday, September 17, 2012 6:17 AM

KWICKO

So far as I know, Amazon doesn't have any fulfillment centers or distribution centers in Texas. I send our products to a dozen of their fulfillment centers, and none are in Texas. Doesn't mean they don't have any here, just that we don't send to them if they have 'em. So they most likely ARE collecting taxes across state lines.

The shipping isn't a big deal for me. I signed up for Amazon Prime, mostly for the free streaming videos and free Kindle books, but it includes free 2-day shipping on most of the things I buy from Amazon. And if you elect to not use 2-day (expedited) shipping, they'll give you credits for free music downloads, which are always handy to pick up a few singles you wouldn't otherwise purchase.

I'm sure I'm supporting an evil empire by using Amazon, but I have a hard time finding some of my favorite things an non-evil places...

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Monday, September 17, 2012 7:13 AM

STORYMARK

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
So far as I know, Amazon doesn't have any fulfillment centers or distribution centers in Texas. I send our products to a dozen of their fulfillment centers, and none are in Texas. Doesn't mean they don't have any here, just that we don't send to them if they have 'em. So they most likely ARE collecting taxes across state lines.

Yep, just looked it up, and they don't have any facilities in Texas. Not California, for that matter.

Note to anyone - Please pity the poor, poor wittle Rappyboy. He's feeling put upon lately, what with all those facts disagreeing with what he believes.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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