Congress to Impose New Internet Taxes

[a113ycat]

This will affect us all. Whether we are internet buyers OR sellers

For many years, large national retailers and many state tax collectors have hoped for new Internet sales tax collection policy. They want Congress to pass a federal law that would allow tax agents from one state to enforce their sales tax laws on retailers based in other states, even when a business is based thousands of miles away. eBay Inc. opposes this misguided idea, and believes that small businesses selling via the Internet should only be subject to the tax laws of the states in which they operate.

The news from Capitol Hill is clear. Internet sales tax supporters are convinced that 2013 is their year, and they are determined to pass a new Internet sales tax bill when Congress tackles "corporate tax reform." In December, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the sponsor of Internet sales tax legislation, publicly announced that he had a commitment from the Senate Finance Committee to "take it up early next year and move it to the floor."

Your opinion matters. If you oppose giving state tax collectors new powers to impose and enforce out-of-state sales tax burdens on small businesses that sell via the Internet, now is the time to make your voice heard. Click here to send an email to your Members of Congress and express your opposition to state tax collectors imposing unfair tax burdens on small businesses.

Thank you for helping to keep the Internet a fair and open marketplace for all.

In the 1992 Quill Decision, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to allow state tax enforcement authorities to impose their sales tax laws on small businesses located in other states. *However, an effort backed by giant retailers and a group of state legislators is trying to push Congress to overturn the Quill Decision and establish an unfair tax regime that would force small online businesses to be subject to sales tax laws all across the country, regardless of where the small business is actually located.




eBay sellers, like many other small business retailers, would be directly impacted by any new Internet sales tax system. It would increase the cost of doing business and shopping on-line, which would hurt sellers and buyers alike. I believe that small businesses selling via the Internet should only be subject to the tax laws of the states in which they operate. Instead of imposing new tax burdens on small businesses, I would encourage Congress to look at policies that encourage small business growth and development on the Internet, which in turn will spur job growth and increase consumer choice.

Please sign this petition.

http://www.ebaymainstreet.com/campa...r-email-february-2013&utm_medium=seller-email

 

[tothemax93]

I'm suprised it took this long for them to try to collect sales tax. In NY your supposed to claim all online and out of state purchases, so you can pay NY sales tax on them. :bang head::bang head:

 

[ouchez]

Really, it is only fair so that the states can then afford to pay all the double dippers in the state pension plans, right, nothing wrong with that.

In our County a 60 year old judge retired at $109,000 a year and was appointed Assistant Prosecutor by the attorney he supported who won the Prosecutor spot, the judge will now get and extra $115,000 a year plus another pension when he leaves that position,,,now that is one motivated guy.

Keep that tax money comin Guyz and Galz! (You're Public Servants thank you!)

O

 

[[email protected]]

I am filing my state taxes at this very moment and saw a line called "use tax". I was unsure what that was so I looked it up and sure enough, PA is requiring residents to pay tax on all items bought on the 'net.

Use Tax

Out-of-state businesses and Internet vendors often falsely advertise that they sell taxable items ?tax free?. However, Pennsylvania law requires the payment of use tax by any person who purchases taxable goods or services delivered into or used in Pennsylvania if sales tax is not collected by the vendor. Use tax is the counterpart of the state and local sales taxes.

When Pennsylvania sales tax is not charged by the seller on a taxable item or service delivered into or used in Pennsylvania, the consumer is required by law to report and remit use tax to the Department of Revenue. The use tax rate is the same as the sales tax rate: 6 percent state tax, plus an additional 1 percent local tax for items purchased in delivered to or used in Allegheny County and 2 percent local tax for Philadelphia.

Why It?s Important

• It?s a matter of fairness. Pennsylvania businesses ? those who employ our residents, pay state and local taxes and support our communities ? are put at a 6 percent competitive disadvantage against out-of-state businesses when sales or use tax is not paid on taxable items and services.
• As Internet and mail-order shopping becomes more popular among Pennsylvania residents, individual consumers? use tax compliance helps level the playing field among e-commerce retailers and Pennsylvania?s brick-and-mortar stores.
• Use tax is an important source of revenue for the Pennsylvania General Fund. Every dollar collected is a dollar available for government and public services.
• From an enforcement standpoint, when the Department of Revenue receives information on purchases where use tax is owed but was not paid, it will assess the purchaser for not only the tax, but also penalty and interest for late payment.

For additional information on use tax and reporting and payment options, visit Use Tax for Individuals or Use Tax for Businesses.

For examples of when use tax is owed by trusts or fiduciaries, visit the Online Customer Service Center .
For more information on use tax, please visit the quick links below.

 

[a113ycat]

I own and operate a small business here in Texas, we have a sales tax but no State income Tax except for businesses. I pay my taxes quarterly and have an accountant to do my Federal tax stuff unemployment and 1099 stuff. Until 2011 I didn't have to do any of this since my business is 99% online sales and 30% of that is international. When the tax bill went into effect in 2011 it made it so that anyone no matter where the income comes from IE. garage sales, eBay, Amazon, Yahoo auctions, whatever if a person make more than 20,000 a year in other incomes no matter the source they are considered a Business and have to have a license with their state as well as a federal EIN number for the IRS to get their cut. I know it seems like there would be plenty of loop holes to get around this but the IRS also under this law made it mandatory the eBay, PayPal, Google Pay, or any other financial entity be it online or otherwise send the IRS information regarding incomes over the said amount to them so they could tax the person that received the money. This is just one more nail in the coffin of our Constitutional right of free enterprise. Under this 2011 law and now the one that Sen. Dick is supporting if one of us sells our bike or whatever else and the buyer pays from out of state not only will the seller have to pay the taxes in their state they will have to pay the taxes in the state that the buyer is in. Or the buyer will have to pay those taxes maybe even both. This is my opinion is Taxation without Representation since by living in one state and not having the rights that a person would in any other state as a resident. IMHO this is complete bull shit...

 

[jfeagins]

"Use Tax" has been around in MO for a very long time. Nothing new here. There's just no way to police all the local garage/rummage sales, or internet sales, for that matter that your avg private citizen partakes in during any given year.

For businesses operating in MO, that's a different matter since an audit can happen at any time. Where I work, we have to keep (and have as far back as I know) records of paid invoices on file. If that invoice didn't specifically add in the appropriate amount of sales tax, then it is our responsibility to record the appropriate amount onto our books at the time of paying that invoice. Then we are required to forward payment of all those 'use tax' incidences to the State each quarter. Different size businesses might be required to settle up with the State of MO either more often, or less often, depending upon their size etc.

Again, no real way to police a private individuals' yard sales etc, but the awesome internet has an electronic trail to follow, and therefore a prime target for legislators to pursue more revenue.

 

[RaWarrior]

The internet has proven resilient against politician attacks. The SOPA/PIPA measures were initially thought to be bulletproof with high support, but that's the problem with the internet.....everybody knows about it instantly. There was overwhelming, vehement oppostion pretty much universally by internet users, businesses, and content creators. Politicians couldn't give a shit about that, but with such disdain from the public, they have to then oppose it also to save face and not scare off potential voters. This happened enough and the bill got quietly put on the back burner.