« Previous topic | Next topic »  
Reply to topic  
 First unread post  | 46 posts | 
by E.J. Peiker on Thu Jun 21, 2018 9:38 am
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
This is for USA residents that live in states with a sales tax (all except AK, DE, MT, NH, and OR) only...

In the USA, if a business did not have a physical presence in a state, it did not need to collect sales tax from out of state purchasers of on-line or phone sales.  In theory, most states require the purchaser to declare these purchases on their tax returns and pay the tax at that time.  However, the VAST majority of people did not do this and states generally have not enforced these things.  Today, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that states can require on-line retailers to collect sales tax for the purchaser's state at time of sale.

This means that if your state passes a law, which I presume most that collect sales tax will, places like B&H, Adorama, Hunt's, etc, etc, etc will have to start collecting sales tax.  Amazon already does (except for marketplace purchases) in most states due to their physical presence in most places.  It will however help local camera stores to be more competitive since the 6-9% advantage out of state on-line retailers have had due to not collecting sales tax will be eliminated.
 

by Mike in O on Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:24 am
Mike in O
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2673
Joined: 22 Dec 2013
It seems only fair...I can be magnanimous since I live in Oregon.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:28 am
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
Mike in O wrote:It seems only fair...I can be magnanimous since I live in Oregon.
Back in the '80's I had an apartment in Beaverton since I split my work time between my then home in Albuquerque and Aloha.  You can be sure that virtually anything I bought of any significance, I bought in OR.

I still know people that work at Intel in OR but live in Vancouver, WA - that way they avoid both sales tax and income tax.  It's essentially a 12% income increase compared to people living in states with both a sales tax and an income tax.
 

by Mike in O on Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:43 am
Mike in O
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2673
Joined: 22 Dec 2013
If you work in Oregon (Intel), OR will tax your income with its high 10% even if you live in Wa. Wa. will let Or. residents skip its sales tax if you want to go through all the paperwork (it used to be real easy as showing your drivers license). The States will always get their pound of flesh.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:05 am
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
Mike in O wrote:If you work in Oregon (Intel), OR will tax your income with its high 10% even if you live in Wa.  Wa. will let Or. residents skip its sales tax if you want to go through all the paperwork (it used to be real easy as showing your drivers license).  The States will always get their pound of flesh.
Somehow there are some that have figured out how to avoid this.  Granted, the person I know best that is doing this, is an employee but actually works from home in WA.
 

by Richard B. on Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:07 am
Richard B.
Lifetime Member
Posts: 283
Joined: 14 Feb 2004
Location: Central Massachusetts
Member #:01199
So who is going rush out and buy something before new regs / laws take effect? New super tele anyone? Of course, you can still just drive to a non sales tax state, buy there from an actual brick and mortar store,  and still be in the same position regards the tax situation. Of course the retailer will know this and perhaps price a little higher than an online outlet - maybe.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:14 am
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
Richard B. wrote:So who is going rush out and buy something before new regs / laws take effect? New super tele anyone? Of course, you can still just drive to a non sales tax state, buy there from an actual brick and mortar store,  and still be in the same position regards the tax situation. Of course the retailer will know this and perhaps price a little higher than an online outlet - maybe.
Closest non-tax state and Camera Store that would carry the things I buy is 1365 miles from me according to Google Maps ;)
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:17 am
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
E.J. Peiker wrote:
Mike in O wrote:If you work in Oregon (Intel), OR will tax your income with its high 10% even if you live in Wa.  Wa. will let Or. residents skip its sales tax if you want to go through all the paperwork (it used to be real easy as showing your drivers license).  The States will always get their pound of flesh.
Somehow there are some that have figured out how to avoid this.  Granted, the person I know best that is doing this, is an employee but actually works from home in WA.
Aha! the way around it is to officially work for a sales office based in WA.
 

by Mike in O on Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:32 am
Mike in O
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2673
Joined: 22 Dec 2013
OT but speaking of Intel
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/ind ... t_breaking
 

by Jeff Colburn on Thu Jun 21, 2018 12:35 pm
User avatar
Jeff Colburn
Forum Contributor
Posts: 465
Joined: 29 Oct 2010
Location: Cottonwood, Arizona
It was a nice ride, while it lasted.

Have Fun,
Jeff
Fine Art Prints and Stock Photography of Arizona www.JeffColburn.com See my ebooks in the NatureScapes Store.
 

by Richard B. on Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:10 pm
Richard B.
Lifetime Member
Posts: 283
Joined: 14 Feb 2004
Location: Central Massachusetts
Member #:01199
New Hampshire border is about 45 miles away and there is a Hunt's location in Nashua. Or at least there was.

Live Free or Die !

Your welcome to move E.J., but there are only two seasons here - Winter and Construction.
 

by Wildflower-nut on Thu Jun 21, 2018 2:46 pm
Wildflower-nut
Forum Contributor
Posts: 825
Joined: 4 Mar 2008
I don't mind. B&H sent me and the tax authorities in Colorado a list of things I had shipped to Colorado. I'm an IL resident but had to file a use tax return in CO. I'd much rather B&H collect a sales tax than have to file a bunch of use tax returns.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Jun 21, 2018 2:54 pm
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
Hmm, so if I am making a really big purchase, say a Phase One system, it would be WAY cheaper to catch a flight to Portland, OR (about $238 round trip from Phoenix) and spring for a night or two in a nice hotel on the waterfront and take delivery there than to pay 8% sales tax which would amount to north of $4000....
 

by SantaFeJoe on Thu Jun 21, 2018 4:00 pm
User avatar
SantaFeJoe
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8622
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Location: Somewhere Out In The Wilds
Every time I hear about people not wanting to pay sales tax it turns me off. I think of our schools hurting for supplies, teacher salaries, etc. Our roads are atrocious and public servants don’t get paid enough. Motor vehicle departments are understaffed and the wait times are extreme. We never have enough prosecutors and investigators for court cases (in ABQ, there are about 5000 rape test kits remaining untested because of staff shortages) and many cases are being dismissed due to short staffing. And on and on, ad naseum. Sure, it hurts when you think that you can save so much on an expensive camera or lens by ordering from a place that doesn’t charge tax, but it is a good thing IMO that these loopholes are being closed. I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I look at things from a point of view that doesn’t place money in the highest regard, even though I have little. It is really for the greater good. And finally, E. J. is right about people not filing compensating tax on purchases. I’m not suggesting that I’m innocent, but this will make things more equitable and may even help keep local dollars from going out of state.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by rajandesai on Thu Jun 21, 2018 4:55 pm
User avatar
rajandesai
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2294
Joined: 6 Apr 2009
Location: MA, USA
Member #:01263
Richard B. wrote:New Hampshire border is about 45 miles away and there is a Hunt's location in Nashua. Or at least there was.

Live Free or Die !

Your welcome to move E.J., but there are only two seasons here - Winter and Construction.
They still have a small presence in Manchester NH - add few more miles but you (and I) have an option...
 

by bradmangas on Thu Jun 21, 2018 5:39 pm
User avatar
bradmangas
Forum Contributor
Posts: 278
Joined: 15 Feb 2013
I read about this as well and am wondering exactly how this will affect costs. For example, in Kansas (where I live) there is 6.5% state sales tax. In Topeka Kansas (where I live) there is the 6.5% state plus county/city of 2.65% making my total sales tax 9.15%. The thing is the most sales tax I have ever been charged from Amazon is 5.1%.

So, even though I have always been against the charging of any sales tax on online orders I am hoping the example that Amazon uses is what is going to take place.
 

by bartley123 on Thu Jun 21, 2018 6:29 pm
bartley123
Forum Contributor
Posts: 140
Joined: 26 Apr 2011
Location: Western Mass.
SantaFeJoe wrote:Every time I hear about people not wanting to pay sales tax it turns me off. I think of our schools hurting for supplies, teacher salaries, etc. Our roads are atrocious and public servants don’t get paid enough. Motor vehicle departments are understaffed and the wait times are extreme. We never have enough prosecutors and investigators for court cases (in ABQ, there are about 5000 rape test kits remaining untested because of staff shortages) and many cases are being dismissed due to short staffing.  And on and on, ad naseum. Sure, it hurts when you think that you can save so much on an expensive camera or lens by ordering from a place that doesn’t charge tax, but it is a good thing IMO that these loopholes are being closed. I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I look at things from a point of view that doesn’t place money in the highest regard, even though I have little. It is really for the greater good. And finally, E. J. is right about people not filing compensating tax on purchases. I’m not suggesting that I’m innocent, but this will make things more equitable and may even help keep local dollars from going out of state.

Joe
Everything you say is very true Joe, but after it all settles down only an optimist to the nth degree will think anything will change. The spending expands to the degree of the cash available.
Don Cooper
Western Mass.
http://www.doncooper.photos
 

by djredman on Fri Jun 22, 2018 6:45 am
djredman
Lifetime Member
Posts: 209
Joined: 8 Oct 2005
Location: Bristol, NH
Member #:00616
It will also force us, who live in a tax free state, to collect taxes from sales to states with taxes. New Hampshire has already implied that they will fight this.

Dave Redman
 

by Scott B on Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:02 am
Scott B
Forum Contributor
Posts: 64
Joined: 30 Mar 2016
bartley123 wrote: Everything you say is very true Joe, but after it all settles down only an optimist to the nth degree will think anything will change. The spending expands to the degree of the cash available.

I agree with Joe and with your quote.  I am sympathetic to every situation he listed but my experience is the money never trickles down to that level. I agree fully with being taxed but I wish we could hold the people involved more accountable for the integrity in how that money is used.  Corporations and governments just want to turn us into a mass of people they can use to produce and to consume when while they carve a unsustainable margin out of the cycle. In my 30 years working in corporate offices over any 3 year period bonuses and perks for top executives has always gone up and benefits for the masses have always gone down.  With that formula taxing more is not the logical way to improve service.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:04 am
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
djredman wrote:It will also force us, who live in a tax free state, to collect taxes from sales to states with taxes. New Hampshire has already implied that they will fight this.

Dave Redman
Fight it how? It's a SCOTUS decision to overturn legislation that allowed it to not be collected.  What's the recourse?
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by:  
46 posts | 
  

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group