• Online sales tax set to pass in Senate
    172 replies, posted
This is hilarious, in each and every thread this is agreement across the board that the US economy is in the shitter and that something needs to be done. Now that something concrete is on the way and it turns out that OH SHIT I MAY NEED TO PAY A TINY BIT EXTRA FOR MY CHEAP ONLINE GEAR you're suddenly up in arms
We have to pay 20% VAT on online purchases here in Britain, and I feel sorry for you guys but I also feel a kind of justice after being saddened by your cheap prices so much.
[QUOTE=demoguy08;40556914]This is hilarious, in each and every thread this is agreement across the board that the US economy is in the shitter and that something needs to be done. Now that something concrete is on the way and it turns out that OH SHIT I MAY NEED TO PAY A TINY BIT EXTRA FOR MY CHEAP ONLINE GEAR you're suddenly up in arms[/QUOTE] MY MONIES. MINE MINE MINE. It's literally people bitching because of standardization. It's nice when you have something you can exploit to buy it cheaper. And it's ok because you can do it! But if someone else does it isn't. So people instead of doing what they can to "fix" the government to the best of their ability go online and bitch. How many people in this thread voted? I'm really interested.
I hope they won't charge international buyers this. I order from the US and if this passes you can say bye bye to my money.
Lol at some of the reactions in this thread. We have to pay 20% VAT on everything you buy in the UK. Online and offline.
This is actually a really good idea.
[QUOTE=JayFeather1337;40554349]Patching loopholes is only good as long as it doesn't hit me, is what I see.[/QUOTE] oh please this is a loophole in the same sense that a pressure cooker is a weapon of mass destruction [editline]7th May 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=lolwutdude;40554519]how do you guys be for so many government funded programs such as universal health care, safety nets, and etc. then be against measures to make sure those programs are funded lol[/QUOTE] Oh you mean the things that the federal government taxes your income for? As opposed to the state nickel and diming you so that big monopoly stores can get their business back from the internet? Here's a better question: how are you guys for so many internet-related causes like net neutrality, opposition to collusion between isp's and giant media conglomerates, opposition to regulation by a government that doesn't know much about it, and etc. then be for measures that are literally the exact same thing worded differently
the only reason this would seem unjust with me is in the case of buying from a private seller on eBay or Amazon.
Is it just me or are the ppl who don't understand common sense annoying to everyone? It's a loophole because the Internet is young. Seriously, it's not that fkn old. The ppl who write laws are really fkn old. The latter is just catching on to the former= no surprise. Also, stop the "federal gov" crap. The federal gov does not receive sales tax revenue. The states do (counties/municipalities if the state allows it) Lastly- this is monies you already owe. The fact you haven't been paying it doesn't make this a new tax. I'll repeat- if your state has a sales tax odds are your state has a provision in the tax documents for you to declair untaxed purchases- so you could pay the tax.
This better only be for physical items. If it applies to Steam or Origin, then I'll be pissed.
[QUOTE=Durrsly;40558865]This better only be for physical items. If it applies to Steam or Origin, then I'll be pissed.[/QUOTE] How would this not apply to steam or origin..... Think of it this way. Are you sending money to x so you can receive y? If yes and if your state has a sales tax- your item is taxed. (Oversimplification because some things aren't taxed by sales taxes... It depends on your state) In ohio food isn't taxed (but restaurant food is/ and fast food is if you eat in but not if you use the drive thru) Tl/dr yes, expect your digital games current taxes to be enforced (should this pass into law)
[QUOTE=Durrsly;40558865]This better only be for physical items. If it applies to Steam or Origin, then I'll be pissed.[/QUOTE] Why? How is purchasing a license for a game any different than getting the physical game itself, tax wise? I can't believe how many people are whining about this, going so far as to claim that it'll be a regressive tax. I could understand if the tax was higher than it is in physical stores, but it's not, so stop complaining.
[QUOTE=Mr. Bleak;40558951]Why? How is purchasing a license for a game any different than getting the physical game itself, tax wise? I can't believe how many people are whining about this, going so far as to claim that it'll be a regressive tax. I could understand if the tax was higher than it is in physical stores, but it's not, so stop complaining.[/QUOTE] I'm buying a license to files, and not a physical product.
And? It's still a sale taking place solely in the United States. Last time I checked, that was what the definition of a [i]sales[/i] tax was.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;40554838]Fuck, fuck, fuck. I don't want to pay any more to my asshole Republican state representatives, they'll just give it right back as further tax cuts for rich people like they do for all new revenue. I just dropped $250 on a pair of monitors from Newegg, I don't wanna fucking pay 7% on top of that, on top of shipping. Shipping IS internet sales tax, nothing will be worth ordering when it has shipping AND tax heaped on it.[/QUOTE]Then we europeans must never order anything at all with our 24% vat on top of item price and shipping. Stop your crying. It's under 10 fucking percent, jeez.
[QUOTE=Durrsly;40558960]I'm buying a license to files, and not a physical product.[/QUOTE] You're still buying something. The tax applies to all sales. That why it's a SALES tax.
I honestly don't mind it. I purchase online for convenience, not because of shit like taxes being in my way. Prices will go slightly up and so what? This is a good thing personally. It's adding fucking taxes to improve revenue flow and the government introducing new taxes is a fucking good thing considering were in desperate need to balance the budget.
[QUOTE=Paul McCartney;40560603]I honestly don't mind it. I purchase online for convenience, not because of shit like taxes being in my way. Prices will go slightly up and so what? This is a good thing personally. It's adding fucking taxes to improve revenue flow and the government introducing new taxes is a fucking good thing considering were in desperate need to balance the budget.[/QUOTE] This is not a new tax. This is "forcing" e merchants to collect an already existing but seldom paid tax. This will add zero to federal revenue. Sales tax goes to the states that have a sales tax (as well as counties and municipalities as state/local law allow) This is not the type of thing you base a budget around. It will allow a bit more breathing room on the state/ locals budget(s)
[QUOTE=Durrsly;40558960]I'm buying a license to files, and not a physical product.[/QUOTE] When you buy games/software from a store, aren't you still just buying a license to own the files? Even if you get the physical plastic disk, cheap manual, and plastic case which costs about 10 cents to make you still are only really buying a license to the files you get from it.
I think a point that seems to be overlooked is that a bill dealing with *tax* cannot originate in the senate. It would have had to have started in the house to be a valid bill. Either way, it is dead in the water in the house. Were something like this to pass, it would crush small online retailers and only really benefit those large entities that can wade through the vast sea of tax code for hundreds of tax jurisdictions, by way of slimming down their competition. This would never help retail sales, as it would be removing billions of dollars from consumers' pockets that they now cannot give to retailers either way.
If you buy something online you're already supposed to be paying "use tax" on it. This is only making it so retailers collect it up front. This is not a new tax, only enforcement. I think it should not be applied to digital goods though, since the state's infrastructure is not being used in the transfer. Perhaps the internet can make enough ruckus so that doesn't happen.
[QUOTE=Generic.Monk;40552665]oh you guys are reaching the end of a golden era of cheap shit; being from the UK and looking at the prices on newegg compared to ours makes me shed a tear sometimes[/QUOTE] 20% of everything you earn goes to the government. 20% vat tax added on to everything you buy. Yey Uk!
What the fuck? Online purchases weren't already taxed?
[QUOTE=darkedone02;40553579]Great, more fucking taxes to screw us over, more money for the corrupted and greedy government, and more ways to screw us over, go figure.[/QUOTE] yeah man FUCK TAXES!!!! i don't need roads, or the police, or firemen, or regulations on shit!!!! ANARCHY!!!
[QUOTE=nintenman1;40561490]I think a point that seems to be overlooked is that a bill dealing with *tax* cannot originate in the senate. It would have had to have started in the house to be a valid bill. Either way, it is dead in the water in the house. [/QUOTE] you realize that there is a perfectly legal workaround to this that has been used forever right? they just take a bill the house based(like the dozens of obamacare repeals) and rewrite it
[QUOTE=Metalcastr;40563582]I think it should not be applied to digital goods though, since the state's infrastructure is not being used in the transfer. Perhaps the internet can make enough ruckus so that doesn't happen.[/QUOTE] What? Did all the publicly-subsidized telecom infrastructure necessary to make the Internet function just disappear overnight?
[QUOTE=demoguy08;40556914]This is hilarious, in each and every thread this is agreement across the board that the US economy is in the shitter and that something needs to be done. Now that something concrete is on the way and it turns out that OH SHIT I MAY NEED TO PAY A TINY BIT EXTRA FOR MY CHEAP ONLINE GEAR you're suddenly up in arms[/QUOTE] Except it really doesn't have anything to do with the economy, it's all about protectionism for big-box retailers that are being undercut by internet sales. If you want to fix the economy, don't take more money out of the poor and middle class for the sake of protecting retailers. Go after the trillions of dollars in untaxed income being stashed overseas by the rich.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;40572643]Except it really doesn't have anything to do with the economy, it's all about protectionism for big-box retailers that are being undercut by internet sales. If you want to fix the economy, don't take more money out of the poor and middle class for the sake of protecting retailers. Go after the trillions of dollars in untaxed income being stashed overseas by the rich.[/QUOTE] Did you think Congress was actually ever going to spend time dealing with actual issues? Because that's a joke if I ever heard one.
[QUOTE=Protocol7;40572694]Did you think Congress was actually ever going to spend time dealing with actual issues? Because that's a joke if I ever heard one.[/QUOTE] Yeah, sadly you have to be pretty naive to expect Congress to do the jobs they were voted in to do.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;40572643]Except it really doesn't have anything to do with the economy, it's all about protectionism for big-box retailers that are being undercut by internet sales. If you want to fix the economy, don't take more money out of the poor and middle class for the sake of protecting retailers. Go after the trillions of dollars in untaxed income being stashed overseas by the rich.[/QUOTE] I fail to see how this is relevant. Why should we leave loopholes just because they're beneficial to some people, or won't solve all our problems? Why not close the loophole, then use the money earned to reinvest for the benefit of those people? Taxing store-bought goods but not online goods is nonsensical. It's resulting in a lot of lost revenue for states and should be closed. Now, if your argument is that it will hurt poor people by increasing their taxes, then you're right, but the solution to that is to reduce taxes, not to leave a loophole that hurts a lot of small businesses.
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