Posted on 12/02/2005 8:07:39 AM PST by Recovering_Democrat
Charleston, W.Va. -- Millions of people do their christmas shopping online. But be prepared for that online purchase to cost you a little more this year. West Virginia's state tax department is tracking online purchases this year. If you don't pay taxes when you make the purchase then you'll be forced to pay up in April.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Maybe they can use the taxes to build another memorial to Klansman Robert Byrd.
West Virginia: Everything's Relative.
For someone's concern above, the word, "Christmas" is spelled with a capital "C."
"Use tax" - It's on the books in a lot of states, but hasn't really been enforced - except for businesses.
As long as I can rememeber Maine has had a place on the income tax form where you can declaire use tax.
Actually, I think all that's been done with federal money, stolen from all of us.
West Virginia's state tax department is tracking online purchases
How are they going to be doing this?
State officials estimate that they loose nearly 25 million dollars in lost revenue each year on purchases made online.
Am I the only person with enough education to recognize the difference between "lose" and "loose"?
Also, exactly how WV plans to enforce this isn't mentioned anywhere in the article.
Good question. I think they're bluffing.
Soon all online sales will be taxed.
SSTP
http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/
Michigan has been doing this for awhile. The thing is they expect the consumer/tax payer/sucker to own up to the taxes they should pay. For example, there are no taxes at Amazon.com, but I'm supposed to figure out what the state taxes should have been & put that on my tax form OR I can just charge myself a certain percentage for the year if I can't remember.
Bet we pay taxes on the internet items four or five times before it's through anyway.
State tax departments routinely audit businesses to be sure they are squeezing out every penny they can get. Thus they have access to sales records, albeit usually only in their own state. I'm not sure under what authority they can audit a "foreign" (to their state) company. However, with reciprocal agreements it is possible that records could be shared. I suspect / hope this will trigger a privacy firestorm concerning interstate snooping. Within state, your best bet is the ballot box.
I think a state tax on interstate sales could be challenged (again, and again) as interference with an area of law reserved for the federal government.
Wow! I liked the website you linked to. That would be a back door way of getting an NRST! That would be a good thing, right? [/sarcasm]
You guys need to start electing different people, folks. Who was the wiseguy who decided that you don't own the mineral rights under the land you own...that's one of my favorites of the "screw-the-poor" laws.
I think W.Va. is a beautiful state, but the ruling class, stinks.
wow, a consumption tax...how canadian
Illinois has been enforcing compliance with the sales/use tax provisions this past year. As a CPA I've seen MANY more audits.
So precisely "how" are they "tracking online purchases"???
For what it's worth, I doubt whether they can eavesdrop on internet transactions. But last year New York State got a subpoena and went through the records of companies that sell cigarettes online. They then sent tax bills to residents who had purchased cigarettes.
Presumably West Virginia could try something similar.
I think most states ask you to declare "use tax" items, and of course most people just don't bother.
Bwah.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.