Democrats push for new Internet sales taxes
The halcyon days of tax-free Internet shopping will, if Rep. Bill Delahunt gets his way, soon be coming to an abrupt end.
Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced a bill on Thursday that would rewrite the ground rules for Internet and mail order sales by eliminating the option for many Americans to shop over the Internet without paying state sales taxes.
At the moment, Americans who shop over the Internet from out-of-state vendors usually aren't required to pay sales taxes. Californians buying books from Amazon.com or cameras from Manhattan's B&H Photo, for example, won't be required to cough up the sales taxes that they would if shopping at a local mall.
That would be the same Bill Delahunt who cleared Amy "Three Shots" Bishop of any charges after she put a 12 gauge round through her brother's chest, mind you. Apparently ol' Bill's hoping that acting like, well, a true Democrat will get peoples' minds off his lackluster DA days... Want even more of a shocker?
Co-sponsors of Delahunt's bill, the "Main Street Fairness Act," include Reps. Michael Capuano, John Conyers, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, and Peter Welch, all Democrats. No Republican has signed on as a co-sponsor.
Apparently Bill and his cohorts are unaware that there are states in the union without sales taxes - i.e., those states are already "fair" - or unfair, if you're a Democrat and your measure of fairness lies in tax collection - and don't need this "protection". It's rather interesting, is it not, that both the Democrats and the mafia use terms like "protection"?
MA Democrats: We never met a tax we didn't think went too far or could be raised higher.
That is all.
8 comments:
Ya, more taxes on stuff you buy, that should kick start the economy in no time. . . why didn't they think of that sooner. . . .
November can't get here fast enough.
Thugs.
Payback in November.
YGBFKM.
Actually, I shouldn't be so surprised. Really. Teh Interwebz is the one of the few horizons where the tax machine doesn't have it claws.
Yet.
I'm shocked we haven't seen more about this.
tweaker
JD,
Hey, they learned from Deval, right?
I mean, what better to spur the economy to new and greater heights than by making things cost more?
Obviously I mean the *NH* economy...
Toaster 802,
Man, I hope so...
Tweaker,
Thing is, it's a stone-cold BITCH collecting sales tax. You know CA has different sales tax levels PER COUNTY??? Any idea what kind of burden that places on a small company?
THAT is why it hasn't been done yet. It's not some dastardly attempt by the big eebil box stores to avoid collecting taxes; it's a way to keep the small businesses that thrive on the internet from going under...
Delahunt is sponsoring this bill because he's retiring at the end of the year. The other lay abouts are pretty secure in their seats, so it's low risk for them too.
It might pass the House, but I don't think it will. Too many seats at stake right now.
They also know that after Jan. 1, it stands no chance, even if the Democrats hold a razor thin majority after the mid terms.
Don't forget to vote in November.
Let's see. I think it is blatantly unconstitutional, so probably it will go 5-4 if it gets to the Supremes
Having lived in a state where there was a sales tax but no income tax (Nevada) and a state that had an income tax but no sales tax (Oregon), I'd much rather have a sales tax.
I'm guessing they aren't going to get rid of your income tax in exchange for this, though. I also think that a company shouldn't be forced to collect sales taxes on orders placed in states where it doesn't have a headquarters. The complexity required in keeping track of the sales taxes in all 50 states and their numerous counties would be a logistics nightmare for all but the largest companies, and I think even they might choke on it.
Of the 3 main types of taxes, sales/excise, property, and income, I prefer income. It's at least calibrated to my ability to pay in the same tax period as it's charged. Sales/excise taxes and property taxes are not dependent on my ability to pay, only on the cost of the underlying taxable object/service. Income taxes are, of course, the hardest type of tax to ensure compliance with; but I don't think that makes up for the horribly regressive nature of sales/excise and property taxes.
Note, my preferred income tax would be flat with a relatively generous personal exemption, both for the normal reasons and because an excessively progressive income tax leaves the taxing entity exceeding vulnerable tot he business cycle.
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