Main Street Fairness Act

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

Hacker: I'm not angry about my competition. But I do believe that we should have a level playing field in business. If a company is required to comply with a regulation, it seems to me that all businesses (exceptions, of course) should comply.

 

Personally, I'm not all that concerned about sales taxes per se. But it's only fair that all or none are subject to the same rules. We are clearly overtaxed. Some, just more unequally than others.

 

 

Sales tax was conceived as a way to get the buyer to pay for services in his state/community via a tax on consumption. The states only have a right to force those doing business in their jurisdiction to comply with their laws. To force an outsider to comply with the laws of a state while not present in the state is a very slippery slope.

 

To ask the hundreds of thousands of folks doing business legally in their own state, and via legal interstate commerce to comply with laws enacted by others states that would very well turn into PUNITIVE protective tarrifs by states is unconstitutional, tantamount to toll booths for goods at the state line.

Suppose CA enacts a law saying web-based sellers in any state not contiguous with CA must collect a 1000% tax on goods sold to CA residents. Or AL makes the reporting and collection requirements to include purchase of state-issued computers and software costing $50k.

 

Do ya want a "berlin wall" around yer state? Who is really helped?

 

To say they couldn't is crazy. If ya think it's not, try and get NYC to honor an out of state CCW. NEW YORK CITY voters don't care about you, and you can't vote in NY...... Thankfully, NYC can't enact a law to outlaw CCW in VT or CT, because if they could, they would.

[Nate Kiowa Jones #6765]

Nate: It's nice to see that you are 100% busy during this recession. How much do you charge for posting on the SASS Wire?

 

Yep, my business is doing very well. It affords me the time to do what I want rather than filling out paper work for some new tax scheme.

 

On the other hand it doesn't sound like your business is doing all that well or you wouldn't be worried about what other business's charge.

 

"Maybe poker's just not your game Ike. I know! Let's have a spelling contest!"

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

READ MY LIPS: NO new taxes

 

No new bureaucracies and unelected unionized federal employees collecting taxes and interfering in private businesses. I don't see any of the money ending up where it will do the small business any good whatsoever. Sorry, Manatee, but there has to be another way.

[Manatee]

Yep, my business is doing very well. It affords me the time to do what I want rather than filling out paper work for some new tax scheme.

 

On the other hand it doesn't sound like your business is doing all that well or you wouldn't be worried about what other business's charge.

 

"Maybe poker's just not your game Ike. I know! Let's have a spelling contest!"

 

Ah, good for you. I'm too busy to do what I want on most days. Took a little time off to see how the SASS Wire was. About the same.

 

 

 

 

[Taquila Tab, Sass #25048]

So....where does that put the guy in Illinois? I dunno. He either pays use tax (if they have it) or decides not to claim it. Not my issue. It's up to him to figure out if he owes it or not.

I worked for the Illinois Department of Revenue from 1982-1990 and I can tell you we had a use tax then and a unit to enforce it. But, they were a small unit and only chased large ticket items like planes, boats, cars, artwork, etc. As far as I know Illinois still has a use tax and everyone is supposed to voluntarily declare their out-of-state purchases (yeah right) and pay tax on it. Recently there was talk about ratcheting up audits because the IDOR felt that in today's online world almost every taxpayer was buying something but few folks were filing the forms declaring such on their returns. I haven't heard that has happened though.

 

My best friend with the agency was an Auditor for the use tax unit and he and I had this conversation many times. I can tell you for a fact that a main reason for the tax was trying to protect Illinois businesses along the borders (we border six different states) from losing business across the state line. Of course, they were interested in adding to our state's coffers too.