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Look I hear lots of opposition in you, you have a very legal set of criteria, legal alone that is. No, it was not one bit my intent to start a legal discussion of allowed and not allowed by laws. So no I disagree with the intent of what you describe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TestEngr
For 20 years the government allowed tax free internet shopping to support a new business model (like Amazon)
I stand corrected?
What is it exactly that I get that I'm not paying for? As for your easy definition, if your intent is to help brick and mortar stores then anything associated with a brick ad mortar store should be exempt. So if an item is returnable to a brick and mortar store, it should be exempt because that store's overhead is figuring into the transaction costs. If you're going to have a policy based tax, the policy has to be thoroughly thought out and consistent or you wind up in court for years fighting over what is and isn't covered.
It was not 20 years of tax free internet purchases. The retailers had to pay taxes on their income, and the price you paid was adjusted accordingly. You were paying taxes, indirectly.
What is it exactly that I get that I'm not paying for? As for your easy definition, if your intent is to help brick and mortar stores then anything associated with a brick ad mortar store should be exempt. So if an item is returnable to a brick and mortar store, it should be exempt because that store's overhead is figuring into the transaction costs. If you're going to have a policy based tax, the policy has to be thoroughly thought out and consistent or you wind up in court for years fighting over what is and isn't covered.
Well I said it already, your interest is debatable local laws and not paying for what the Federal government is already doing. Your specific interest is another discussion. I have my views of past, you have yours. Good for you. If you don't think the Federal government is working to stop the effects of the pandemic, I suggest looking around March 21 to 25 timeframe and see where things are now. We would not have a single store, restaurant, or airline, or just about anything left. You can still find places that have none of those things if you like that model lots. I knew somebody who once moved to Wyoming as he just wanted none of those things nearby and had other other income sources, it is a valid way to be, just not where most people get jobs I guess. You have a point, it is where you want to be, but sort of a jobless for others point.
Should we slap a tax on Tesla and other EV vehicle manufacturers to help support Ford and GM? Of course not! Should we slap a tax on renewable energy sources to help insure that fossil fuel companies survive? Of course not! Perhaps we should slap a tax on cell phones to help bring back land lines and maybe even telegrams.
The debate is on how to pay for what the pandemic is doing, which is killing brick and mortar, airlines, hotels, restaurants, malls, and more. At least where I live for sure, another restaurant a day here is closing seems like. Tesla and Ford and models of competing cars. A pandemic causing massive job losses and stores/restaurants/malls/hotels closing caused by the pandemic is not a competitor like Ford and Tesla. Pandemic versus what? It isn't a competition.
If it's just a discussion of paying for the pandemic response, the VAT is likely the only thing that would come close to being able to pay for it. (IMO, taxing online sales only would be irresponsible as you're then encouraging people to go to stores to purchase things when policies are calling for less human interaction).
VAT has no chance of ever passing in the US, again in my opinion, for the simple reason of what happened in Canada when they passed their version of it. US politicians committing political suicide en masse is not something I expect to see in my lifetime.
sales only would be irresponsible as you're then encouraging people to go to stores to purchase things when policies are calling for less human interaction).
So you believe a 3% tax (of course just proposed) would kill Amazon and cause everyone to not shop there and go to stores en mass I guess? I doubt it, I bet Amazon wouldn't lose sales for years and by then the Pandemic is hopefully under control.
So you believe a 3% tax (of course just proposed) would kill Amazon and cause everyone to not shop there and go to stores en mass I guess? I doubt it, I bet Amazon wouldn't lose sales for years and by then the Pandemic is hopefully under control.
No idea where you got that notion, I never even came close to saying it would kill Amazon. I said it would encourage people to buy in store instead of online, which is not a behavior the government wants to promote at this time. I'm sure you would agree that people would in fact drive to a store to save 3% on a purchase, all other things being equal.
No idea where you got that notion, I never even came close to saying it would kill Amazon. I said it would encourage people to buy in store instead of online, which is not a behavior the government wants to promote at this time. I'm sure you would agree that people would in fact drive to a store to save 3% on a purchase, all other things being equal.
I think Amazon has so much steam built up in their model, so no people would not do that. I don't think it causes this at all, people would order the same as they do now, no change at all. Most people are not going to go to Target to save 3% on cat food, and pay about 3% for the gas to get there.
Always baffled me how internet retailer is able to undercut brick and mortar. Brick and mortar no pay for delivery to consumer. E-commerce need to pay for delivery to each consumer. Delivery for single items has to be expensive unless you have lots of deliveries on route. But that can only happen once everyone starts ordering from single vendor.
Overhead would be my explanation. If you have a retail business it has to be staffed whether you have customers at that moment or not. You have theft by employees and customers And you have to have a wide selection whether or not you turn your items quickly. And you have high rent in malls and other traditional high traffic locations.
With Amazon the shipping is covered by the FBA sellers and Prime fees paid by buyers. They staff based on need and inventory can be pulled from around the country.
And as far as lots of deliveries go. The Amazon vans stop at several houses on my street every day.
And no we do not need more taxes. A rash of brick and mortar closings have been happening for years and certainly even more now. Handouts are not going to change that long term. It will just create a tax that will never go away.
The debate is on how to pay for what the pandemic is doing, which is killing brick and mortar, airlines, hotels, restaurants, malls, and more. At least where I live for sure, another restaurant a day here is closing seems like. Tesla and Ford and models of competing cars. A pandemic causing massive job losses and stores/restaurants/malls/hotels closing caused by the pandemic is not a competitor like Ford and Tesla. Pandemic versus what? It isn't a competition.
Well, I'd personally disagree with a debate that says "we're looking to pay for what the pandemic is doing," aka "killing brick and mortar," because I don't believe that the pandemic is killing B&M. I will admit that it's probably speeding things up and exacerbating things, but B&M has been dying well before the 'Rona.
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