Internet Tax Bill Targets All Digital Downloads

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
Remember how we said this whole internet tax thing was a slippery slope? Here's your Vaseline coated giant slalom. I wonder where they will go next with this?

The U.S. Senate is set to vote Monday on a tax bill that would levy new fees on people who download digital products including movies, music, apps, and even WordPress themes.
Click to expand...
 
I make my living designing and selling themes. I guess my prepackaged themes will be taxed. For my one-off custom jobs, well . . .

I wish I had the power to wave a magic wand and kick every tax-loving asshole out of the country.
 
This won't change a thing. People will still buy online vs local cause you have more products available online than you do locally. And pricing will probably still be cheaper online even with taxes.
 
At what point do we start realizing things are so fucked up, it's not funny anymore. I just watched the 80's movie Popeye starring Robin Williams, and it got me thinking about how the Tax Man taxing the shit out of everyone and everything for every conceivable reason...
 
So sick and tired of this shit. The money just disappears into a bottomless pit and never put to any good use.
 
The current language for the bill states that businesses with online sales under $1 million per year are exempted. eBay is lobbying to change the minimums to the definition of "small business", which is 50 employees and $10 million per year. This is a gigantic annoyance for those of us who purchase from major online retailers, but it's much less of a problem for most "small online sellers".

I hope it fails. It doesn't seem to have support in the House, but that could change if there is negotiation of the one hand washes the other kind. Everyone has a price. :-/
 
Also, this is not a federal tax. If you feel your state wastes sales tax revenues, well there are elections pretty often. :p
 
Steve said:
LOL!


Wait...someone needs to kick you in the nuts for even thinking that. :eek:



:D
Click to expand...

I wish I was kidding. I am not. Whether or not it is enforced or not, is another matter. In the City I last lived in, you needed a $5 permit, and had to remit sales tax to the city. You could also only have one yard/garage sale a year.
 
Ski said:
At what point do we start realizing things are so fucked up, it's not funny anymore. I just watched the 80's movie Popeye starring Robin Williams, and it got me thinking about how the Tax Man taxing the shit out of everyone and everything for every conceivable reason...
Click to expand...

Pay your fair share, comrade! It's your patriotic duty!

Well, if nothing else, I'm sure all these new tax laws will produce plenty of renewed demand for people who can navigate around it.
 
If they wanted to seriously disrupt and lower sales related to internet commerce this is it.
They aren't going to get the tax revenue they expect from this bill.
Only thing they should expect is a massive drop in sales and the closure of many commercial websites.
What a waste.
 
GORANKAR said:
I wish I was kidding. I am not. Whether or not it is enforced or not, is another matter. In the City I last lived in, you needed a $5 permit, and had to remit sales tax to the city. You could also only have one yard/garage sale a year.
Click to expand...

Damn man, that is just.....screwed up. :(

It's like paying sales tax on a used car...how many times can they collect sales tax on the same damn vehicle? :confused:
 
I don't sell things, I give them away for a mandatory minimum donation.
 
I just thought of something, what if more stores start accepting bitcoin or another form of non regulated currency? Or is the government just going to make that illegal?
 
Red Squirrel said:
I just thought of something, what if more stores start accepting bitcoin or another form of non regulated currency? Or is the government just going to make that illegal?
Click to expand...

They'll make it illegal and send in the Secret Service thugs to confiscate everything like they did for Liberty Dollars. Competing currencies threaten the state's funny money.
 
Galvin said:
This won't change a thing. People will still buy online vs local cause you have more products available online than you do locally. And pricing will probably still be cheaper online even with taxes.
Click to expand...

This. Even having to pay a tax won't stop me from buying online or even buy less. Why would I waste time and gas to go shopping at a local store that might or might not have the item I am looking for? When in less than 5 minutes I can price compare hundreds of online sites and place an order.

Anyone that thinks this will help local business is kidding themselves. All it does is give the politicians more money that they don't deserve.
 
I don't mind taxes if they're going to something useful. Unfortunately all my state taxes are going to is subsidizing the gas industry that's fracking the hell out of everything. They raise more taxes and fees for everybody else, then instead of using the money for, say, stuff people actually use, they use it as a windfall to lower corporate tax.

So it's not increasing the coffers, it's just shifting the tax burden from big companies to the state's populace. That's just a pile of shit.
 
GORANKAR said:
In the City I last lived in, you needed a $5 permit, and had to remit sales tax to the city. You could also only have one yard/garage sale a year.
Click to expand...

You paid the sales tax when you buy the item, and then they tax you again when you sell it used?

Unless you are selling new items, bought without paying sales tax, you are being double taxed.
Even the British didn't do that :)
 
Koolthulu said:
This. Even having to pay a tax won't stop me from buying online or even buy less. Why would I waste time and gas to go shopping at a local store that might or might not have the item I am looking for? When in less than 5 minutes I can price compare hundreds of online sites and place an order.

Anyone that thinks this will help local business is kidding themselves. All it does is give the politicians more money that they don't deserve.
Click to expand...

And if you are paying 8% tax, then you will be buying 8% less. Should be real good for the economy.
 
Gavv,

Lemonade stands are no longer illegal. You have to have a license to act as a food/beverage vendor. This is not a joke. Cops will come and stop children that are running a lemonade stand.

Big Government in bed with Big Business. Corporatism. The little guy loses.

Here's hopping libertarians take over the republican party :)
 
Red Squirrel said:
I just thought of something, what if more stores start accepting bitcoin or another form of non regulated currency? Or is the government just going to make that illegal?
Click to expand...

Every government will react to it once it threatens their tax money flow. I'm no expert to guess how the government will make it illegal, but I'm sure they will find a way.
 
OP20 said:
Gavv,

Lemonade stands are no longer illegal. You have to have a license to act as a food/beverage vendor. This is not a joke. Cops will come and stop children that are running a lemonade stand.

Big Government in bed with Big Business. Corporatism. The little guy loses.

Here's hopping libertarians take over the republican party :)
Click to expand...

Yes I know, that why I made the comment, we had a rash of closed lemonade stands last year. Pretty sad when you think of it on one hand.... But I can see it on the food beverage side on the other.. Still ridiculous.
 
prime2515102 said:
There is already sales tax on yard sales. There is sales tax on anything you sell (except food in most places).
Click to expand...

If that's the case then you should also be able to file a balance sheet showing how much you LOST at a yard sale and then get a deduction at the end of the year.

Buy a TV for $300, couple years later you sell it for $50, you should get a $250 write-off as a loss eh?

If they keep that crap up then everyone is going to have to operate their lives as a business and factor revenue, loss, and depreciation into everything. In fact that might not be a bad way to go anyway, that way when you lose money on your home you can write it off as a small business loss.

Find me a state that taxes yard sales and you've found a state that I'll never live in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top