Semi OT: Internet Sales Tax
This WebDNA talk-list message is from 2003
It keeps the original formatting.
numero = 47528
interpreted = N
texte = Any aficionado's care to comment?http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-983636.htmlNet's no longer a haven from sales taxesBy Lisa M. BowmanSpecial to ZDNet NewsFebruary 6, 2003, 10:22 AM PTSeveral large retailers this week began collecting sales tax on Internetpurchases.The move arose from an agreement among about 38 states and the District ofColumbia that went into effect this week. The deal was struck last fallafter states complained that they've been losing billions of dollars in taxrevenue as online sales rise.In exchange for signing onto the agreement, the retailers will not be heldliable for back sales taxes they may owe, according to people familiar withthe agreement.Those involved would not say which retailers agreed to the deal, butretailers including Toys R Us, Wal-Mart and Target recently posted newpolicies on sales taxes. Amazon.com, which has partnerships with Target.com,MarshallFields.com and Mervyns.com to sell items online, notified customersof the change through a posting on its site.Effective February 2, 2003, target.direct and marshallfields.direct will berequired to charge sales tax in all states other than Alaska, Hawaii, andVermont. The new collection requirements will apply to all orders shippedand charged on or after February 2, 2003, even if your order was placedprior to this date, the posting said.Many online retailers have avoided charging customers sales tax becausecompanies are not required to do so unless they have a physical presence ina customer's state. Americans are supposed to pay taxes voluntarily on itemsthey order from Web sites and mail-order companies that are located outsidethe state in which they live. But very few people do.Brick-and-mortar retailers have argued that the confusing online sales taxpolicy has put them at a disadvantage because many Web purchases haveessentially been tax-free, a problem that could be rectified by theimplementation of the new amnesty agreement.This is a demonstration of our ongoing belief that stores and onlineretailers should be treated equally, Target spokesman Doug Kline said.State representatives cheered implementation of the deal, which they see asparticularly necessary in these rocky financial times.It is part of a major milestone in state tax consolidation, said DianeHardt, tax administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue andco-chair of the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, which came up with the plan.Meanwhile, there's a move afoot in Congress to ban online sales taxesaltogether. In January, Rep. Chris Cox, R-Calif., and Sen. Ron Wyden,D-Ore., renewed their efforts to prohibit online sales taxes by introducinga bill that would turn the current moratorium into an outright ban. Themoratorium on discriminatory Internet sales taxes--which are taxes thatwouldn't be levied on offline sales--expires in November.GK-------------------------------------------------------------This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list
.To unsubscribe, E-mail to: To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to Web Archive of this list is at: http://webdna.smithmicro.com/
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Any aficionado's care to comment?http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-983636.htmlNet's no longer a haven from sales taxesBy Lisa M. BowmanSpecial to ZDNet NewsFebruary 6, 2003, 10:22 AM PTSeveral large retailers this week began collecting sales tax on Internetpurchases.The move arose from an agreement among about 38 states and the District ofColumbia that went into effect this week. The deal was struck last fallafter states complained that they've been losing billions of dollars in taxrevenue as online sales rise.In exchange for signing onto the agreement, the retailers will not be heldliable for back sales taxes they may owe, according to people familiar withthe agreement.Those involved would not say which retailers agreed to the deal, butretailers including Toys R Us, Wal-Mart and Target recently posted newpolicies on sales taxes. Amazon.com, which has partnerships with Target.com,MarshallFields.com and Mervyns.com to sell items online, notified customersof the change through a posting on its site.Effective February 2, 2003, target.direct and marshallfields.direct will berequired to charge sales tax in all states other than Alaska, Hawaii, andVermont. The new collection requirements will apply to all orders shippedand charged on or after February 2, 2003, even if your order was placedprior to this date, the posting said.Many online retailers have avoided charging customers sales tax becausecompanies are not required to do so unless they have a physical presence ina customer's state. Americans are supposed to pay taxes voluntarily on itemsthey order from Web sites and mail-order companies that are located outsidethe state in which they live. But very few people do.Brick-and-mortar retailers have argued that the confusing online sales taxpolicy has put them at a disadvantage because many Web purchases haveessentially been tax-free, a problem that could be rectified by theimplementation of the new amnesty agreement.This is a demonstration of our ongoing belief that stores and onlineretailers should be treated equally, Target spokesman Doug Kline said.State representatives cheered implementation of the deal, which they see asparticularly necessary in these rocky financial times.It is part of a major milestone in state tax consolidation, said DianeHardt, tax administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue andco-chair of the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, which came up with the plan.Meanwhile, there's a move afoot in Congress to ban online sales taxesaltogether. In January, Rep. Chris Cox, R-Calif., and Sen. Ron Wyden,D-Ore., renewed their efforts to prohibit online sales taxes by introducinga bill that would turn the current moratorium into an outright ban. Themoratorium on discriminatory Internet sales taxes--which are taxes thatwouldn't be levied on offline sales--expires in November.GK-------------------------------------------------------------This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list .To unsubscribe, E-mail to: To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to Web Archive of this list is at: http://webdna.smithmicro.com/
Gary Krockover
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