Finalised it all with my ISP today, after a bit of jostling got my 40Mbps down and 10Mps up connection for £10/month on a 12 month contract. I had initially only been given £10/month for 6 months and then £20/month for the remaining 12 months on an 18 month contract. Generally happy to have to only pay £10($16) for this each month and to be only be tied in for a year.
You bring up a good point, which is that while we get buttraped on our internet prices, we pay much lower prices for gas and most goods in general, and don't pay anything close to what they pay in sales tax. From what I remember the prices of PCs in the UK are hilarious. They get an i3 Walmart PC for the same price that we would pay for a tricked out gaming rig. I seem to remember both Phisix and Armadeadn had asked for PC buying advice and we had no idea what to tell them because their options over there were so bad. I can see why most of them are console gamers.
We can get good computers for good prices but you have to build it yourself. You go to PCworld you get raped. Not quite as cheap as you but it isn't a gulf. The fact that you currently avoid taxes online is a big helping factor, I tell you as shops decline the government is going to have to implement online tax in the US. Not hard to charge tax at rate used in billing or delivery address.
the US government doesn't have to. the state governments are already fighting and winning it themselves.
Which is why I stopped buying anything on Amazon and got a NewEgg premiere account. They have no presence in FL and no plans to have a presence in FL so the orders are tax free.
I believe most states have always required taxes be paid for online purchases. It's the enforcement of the law and collection of the taxes that has been the issue. It's a nice perk but it's going away soon.
Doubtful. I'm pretty sure you will only get charged tax if they have a presence in your state. And I will continue to adjust my buying habits accordingly. I'm not paying tax on online orders. Kind of defeats the whole purpose. I may as well just go to brick and mortar and have instant gratification for the same price if they are going to go that route.
If bricks and mortar stores disappear then they will need to collect the taxes online or they will find other ways to tax you. A simple piece of code that works out the rate in your state would take minutes to implement. They then send all of the tax collected to your state each month. It will come.
How would online stores stay competitive? Their main advantage has been that they don't charge tax. Also I'm pretty sure companies that are doing really well like Amazon and NewEgg have a lot more lobbying power than failing companies like Best Buy. Keep in mind this is America, where money rules.
That isn't true at all, bricks and mortars are failing in the UK left, right and center because they cannot compete with online stores. Online stores don't have anything like the overheads that shops do. Prices are much cheaper online across the board. Example I got Destiny for £40 on Amazon, GAME wanted £55 when I walked in! I pay for Amazon Prime now because it is so much cheaper to get most stuff on there than go to the shops. Besides the government doesn't if the online stores stay competitive, they just need to make sure the money starts coming in. That's not a reason that will ever stop online tax.
They would still have advantages in terms of convenience and selection vs. brick and mortar. I think bfun is right though…a lot of states technically ask you to keep track of online purchases and pay tax on them in your state tax return, but it's not enforced. Personally, I'm perfectly fine with paying tax at the time of purchase online, regardless of the state presence. It's 2014 and internet shopping isn't an experiment anymore. It's well established and shouldn't need artificial advantages like not collecting sales tax anymore.
@Grim LOL. You really don't understand politics in America. Politicians don't care about collecting taxes, they care about the bribe money they get from lobbyists. I don't see failing brick and mortar places coming up with the bribe money to make things change.
So what do you think is going to happen when the money stops coming in? When they can't afford to keep the street lights on? When they can't afford to send men out to collect the rubbish? When they can't enforce the law? They have to keep the money coming in, they don't have a choice otherwise you will find yourself living in a 3rd world country. Online taxes are the easy option otherwise they will just introduce other taxes to get rid of the deficit. Eventually you are going to have to pay to keep the state working.
Lol if you think our politicians care about any of that. You keep thinking about things like a Brit instead of an American! I live in a state run by a guy who stole billions from medicare/medicaid, and didn't even have to pay most of it back. And to answer your other question, Robocop.
In 2010 Colorado passed a law that required Amazon and other e-retailers to collect tax information for sales to Colorado residence. It doesn't matter if the retailer is located out of state. The law has been temporarily blocked while the courts battle it out.
We actually have 5 states that don't collect sales tax. They make up the difference by raising other taxes. Alaska -subsidizes with oil taxes and royalties Montana - Higher income tax New Hampshire- Higher property tax Delaware - Higher corporate income tax Oregon - Higher income tax
I stopped shopping at Amazon when they started charging taxes... Bestbuy will price match and I can have it NOW. Cmdrmonkey was right when the economy was well. But right now states can't afford their budgets and are looking for ways to generate money. Online tax was one of the first things to pop up in 2011 in my state.
Well Amazon offers so much more than Best Buy. In the last week I've ordered jeans, socks, dog food, and a motion detection porch light.
Of course. I still get well priced items from Amazon or stuff that I don't need right away. The 2-day to your front door is still a huge convenience for me. But my shopping at BestBuy increased from 0, to a few times a year due to the tax changes.