Friday Funnies: Internet Sales Tax

Chip Bok

Comments

[Ted S.]

NEEDZ MOAR LABELZ!

[Auric Demonocles]

I appreciate your dedication to alt-text.

[Ted S.]

Nobody else is commenting because they're too busy laughing.

[/sarcasm]

[Fist of Etiquette]

That guy should be careful. Screaming at a computer is what killed Andrew Breitbart.

[SIV]

TOO SOON

[a better weapon]

+1 AED

[Brandybuck]

Why is he yelling at a CD case?

[BlueBook]

Better question: why is the CD case talking back to him? And emitting smoke?

[Fatty Bolger]

I like how it changes size in each panel.

[db]

That's called "throbbing."

[Zeb]

Your computer doesn't smoke when you get an html error?

[LTC(ret) John]

Only when I have shoveled too much coal into it.

[BlueBook]

OT, anyone else finish watching season one of The Americans? I thought it was good; maybe not Game of Thrones good, but watchable stuff.

[sarcasmic]

Haven't watched the last one yet, but I've liked it so far.

[PS]

We watched the first few but I felt it was getting a little, I dunno, silly. Still we'll probably finish out the season.

[BlueBook]

It is silly at times, but having seen every episode of 24 and Homeland, I can't complain.

[Ted S.]

Does anybody else disbelieve the propaganda reports that the Tsarnaevs were really planning to bomb on July 4?

[wareagle]

I've gotten to where any "reports" are treated with skepticism. Slightly OT but related to earlier H/R article - millenials are the only folks who don't have faith or trust in our institutions.

[Sy]

No, but just in case, the DHS will be sure to uncover some hidden plot right before the next anti-gun bill is up for a vote.

[db]

Haven't seen any of that. If so, why would they change the plan?

[BakedPenguin]

Supposedly, they found building the bombs easier than they originally thought.

I'm not too skeptical of this, because I don't wee why it would matter one way or another.

[db]

I suppose it's possible they feared getting caught in the interim and decided to advance their schedule. The fuckers probably thought they could get away with it and carry out a second attack.

[Zeb]

And they probably could have if they hadn't decided to hang around at home for a few days afterwards.

This is a lot of why I don't think that terrorism in the US is a very big threat. If there really were a good number of smart, committed people willing to risk their lives and persons, then there would be a lot more shit getting blown up.

[Ted S.]

I get the impression the authorities are trying to keep Boston Weak frightened.

[BakedPenguin]

Oh, okay. I don't doubt that.

[Drake]

I gave that report the same consideration as the original report that they were Tea Partiers working alone.

[Suthenboy]

The first thing I thought was another FBI undercover operation trying to entrap idiots into being terrorists, but the terrorists went off the reservation and upped the timetable. Ooops.

The FBI did investigate these fuckers a while back. It is a pretty safe bet that if the feds have their fingerprints on anything, anywhere, that clusterfucking will ensue.

[a better weapon]

That was my first thought even before they released the photos of the guys.

I always figured it was some patsy who wasn't quite as dumb as they thought. Now I'm starting to think that is the case again.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Well, in most states it is "sales and use tax." So technically, you are required to file a form reporting all the shit you have purchased and pay tax on it.

Of course, no one does this and I suppose there are exemptions in place, but still.

[SIV]

Why is use tax "free" if sales tax is paid in another state? Or is it?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

In MD at least, you do get a credit for out of state taxes paid.

[KDN]

Same here, but the only thing they look hard at use tax on is big ticket items like boats and cars, in which case you pay at registration anyway.

NJ includes to use a helpful table for estimated use tax for purchases under $1k, basically they want to see 0.05% of your income on the use tax line. They mandate that you include anything over $1,000, but nobody's going audit you over the PC and TV you bought at Costco in NH.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

but the only thing they look hard at use tax on is big ticket items like boats and cars

If only this were true. I was audited for sales tax compliance and when they couldn't find anything, they went looking for my credit card internet purchases. Everything I bought from Amazon was targeted for use tax and penalties.

Greedy little fuckers.

[KDN]

That's pretty terrible. Do you have a business or was this personal? I can't imagine they're just randomly flagging returns for a sales tax audit, seems like a terrible waste of time (then again, this is the government).

I can't see that specific tactic working here. Amazon charges sales tax on everything here, even things they're don't have to.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

This was a business audit. The aggravating part is that I was correct to the penny on taxes on several million in sales. So when they couldn't find anything there, they went trolling through my purchases for use tax. They hate when they can't find anything, because then they can't justify the audit.

[UnCivilServant]

There's even a line on the NYS state return which basically admits "Both you and we know there's no way to know how much tax on out of state puchases the law says you owe us, so put something ballpark on this line and we won't look too close" Most people put $0.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Yeah and I think the instructions try to get people to write down a minimum amount when they do not know (which is always). Of course, when we prep a NY return we always put $0.

[sarcasmic]

I have never purchased anything online or out of state. Never once. Nope. Not a single item. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. I swear. Really. It's true. Not a thing.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

We had a business client go through an ugly sales and use tax audit. Even when they admitted to a few items being bought out of state, the auditor still wanted receipts for places where sales tax would have obviously been collected, such as a restaurant in town or an online purchase made through a store with a physical location in MD.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

receipts for places where sales tax would have obviously been collected

Now that's just being an asshole.

[sarcasmic]

Now that's just being an asshole.

Why else would someone seek out he job of auditor if not because they're a complete asshole?

[Zeb]

Because they are completely boring and unimaginative? Though that would probably be more in the private auditing business. Tax auditors probably need more malice to be very effective.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

She was one frigid bitch, definitely the auditor type.

[Spoonman.]

Oddly enough, I don't think I've purchased anything outside of Pennsylvania so far this year, except for online at Amazon and Home Depot, both of which charge sales tax to Pennsylvania residents.

There's no conceivable reason to go to New Jersey to buy things (I'm not much of a drinker) and Delaware is on the other side of Philadelphia.

[Sy]

How did he manage to draw an upside-down angry face without the line showing? I didn't think you could do that with an Etch-a-Sketch.

[BlueBook]

It's not upside down, it has a furrowed brow instead of a mouth.

[PS]

It annoys the hell out of me when I buy something from the Apple App Store and I have to pay CA sales tax. I don't know if all international people have to pay it or it's because I have an American address on my credit card.

[BakedPenguin]

Do you have a CA address on your card? Most taxing authorities have pass-thru set asides for people who live in other places b/c they damn sure want the same consideration when "their" people go somewhere else.

If it's possible, change your card address to a US state without sales tax.

[Some call me Tim?]

It's going to be based on the shipping address not the billing.

[sarcasmic]

So this Chinese couple, owners of a Chinese restaurant, are getting busy in the bedroom. When the husband suggests a little 69, his wife says "Why you want beef and bocolli now?"

[Zakalwe]

You're Chip Bok's sockpuppet?!

[PS]

Beef and brocori you lacist

[Restoras]

I don't know if this is a true story, but it's a good one.

The Littlest Fascist limited to one slice of pepperoni pizza; throws bitchy little hissy fit.

[Zakalwe]

Look at the rest of their stories; it's a parody site.

[db]

Are you sure?

"Selena Gomez: Bieber Has 'tiny, weird' Penis."

[UnCivilServant]

Satrical site, sorry.

[a better weapon]

It's a good idea though.

[sarcasmic]

If it was a true story it would have ended with inspectors shutting down the restaurant and hauling the owner off to indefinite solitary confinement. This is the land of the free, you know.

[Bardas Phocas]

I'm hoping all the crafty ladies on Etsy turn tax rebels.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/11.....h_type=all

[CbadCAMom]

Thanks for the gift idea for the Hubs.

Many of those "crafty ladies" on Etsy are really business people with moderately sized businesses and millions in sales. There's a soap maker I know who makes $100k in sales each year from Etsy, not to mention the $500k in sales from other sources. Not bad for a guy in his garage.

[Danno]

When you buy online you have to pay handling and shipping which is usually more than sales tax. The shipper is paying profit tax. The reason I buy online is it is much easy to get the product I want. Start taxing me for that. I will still buy online mostly for non-perishable.