I agree with Venson regarding sales taxes. A number of years ago I purchased my Miele Silver Moon on-line, received free shipping and saved the 8.6% local and retail sales taxes. That's a savings of over $103 I would have had to pay if I purchased it at a local dealer. I don't feel one bit guilty because I don't particularly like my local Miele dealer. And all the other local dealers tend to bad mouth each others products. When I asked them about Miele they look down their nose and have nothing good to say about it (because they obviously can't carry the line).  
 
The majority of independent dealers in my area are like hillbillies and only carry a couple of different brands. Their show rooms are dirty, smelly and dimly lit. When they are asked if these are the only brands they carry they reply with "but we can order what you want". Problem is, I and probably any other savvy buyer doesn't want to plunk down money on a product that can't be seen, touched or used before making the purchase. Why bother with them when I can easily order on-line with a few clicks of the mouse and have it delivered to my front door. Return policy?? No such thing with the locals. I'm not saying all the locals are like this but a very high percentage of them in my area are hillbillies. No thank you.  
 
There's really nothing my State can do about the tax situation either unless the dealer happens to have a retail outlet within the State.

Quote from tiger21   on 05/08/06 at 8:16pm:

 
The politicians want the income tax.  The people voted it down.  If the governments did not abuse the spending of tax $ I think most people would be willing to pay taxes.

I had a sign hanging in my store for many years.  It read:
 
"We collect local, state, and federal taxes .....
and do a little business on the side."
 
If you don't pay the sales taxes, you can't deduct them on your income tax filings.  If you do pay the sales taxes, you can deduct them on your income taxes.
 
Carmine D.
 

Hi guys,
 
One of my duties at work is to file and pay collected sales tax  per New York and New Jersey, as the firm has vendors who we contract to do work for us in both places.  For work executed in either place, respectively, tax is applied to individual invoices as required.  We are not obligated to charge or pay tax to the state of California, as an instance, when we execute work to be shipped and used there.  We have no mandate from the State so far that says we must.  Our supplied sales tax forms only require us to list counties within the New York State that we may have delivered work to.  The additional form we receive re New Jersey only asks if we executed taxable work (that would be for any client without a resale ID or non-profit status).  BAsically, sales tax collection is the vendors' responsibility here.
 
RAT -- per the link you posted  if you read down a ways . . .
 
"There are many types of purchases where a New York taxpayer may acquire goods or services and not pay the requisite sales tax: . . . "
 
"Purchases made via catalogs or the Internet where the vendor does not charge New York sales tax or does not charge the full rate applicable to the tax payer's place of residence."
 
I have had no online vendor other than those physically located in New York State require sales of me for any personal purchases.  As I said, no mandate that I know of insists that out-of-state online purchasers bear obligation to pay tax to the state of origin.
 
Matter of fact, the powers that be here offer a period a couple of times a year when clothing purchases for items under $110.00 each are not subject to sales tax.  This is an experiment I assume as our neighbor, New Jersey, does not tax clothing sales at all.  In New York, you pay no tax for edible items and prescription pharmaceuticals but are taxed for just about everything else.
 
Overall, if sales tax does actually become required as collectable by vendors nationwide, regardless of prior rules, it will put a damper on online buying due to all the paperwork required.  Our economy considered, I have a strong feeling that this issue will court a lot of barking dogs from all around but will not be strongly pursued since, after all, consumers are voters too.
 
Venson
 
 
 

Hi RAT,
 
I've never heard of any private consumer paying use tax.  Until state government stands forth with a loud voice and says to the everyday consumer, "This is sin," I think I and the rest of the general public probably will not think on anything other than that which is already a definite must.
 
However, again thanks much for the link.  I plan to get back to it for a more thorough read.
 
Regards,
 
Venson