[IP] ] Internet Sales Taxes

A call in Wall St. Journal for imposing sales taxes on internet commerce:

http://online.wsj.com/article/portals.html

Excerpts:

Real World Needs 'Net' Taxes

May 21, 2008; Page B9

Do you think that billionaire Internet moguls should continue to

benefit from a tax loophole that hurts parks and schools, and makes

it harder for your neighborhood bookstore to keep open for business?

...

Oh, come now!

For starters, there are tens of thousands of endlessly changing
sales-tax rules and rates, determined by thousands of city, county
and state taxing authorities, great and small. Can you imagine the
nightmare trying to keep track of how much to collect on what from
whom to pay when to which?

Additionally, half a dozen states impose NO sales taxes - Alaska,
Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. They recognize that
sales taxes are one of the MOST REGRESSIVE - imposing the greatest
tax burden on those who earn the least, who can least-afford to pay,
but who must nonetheless buy goods and services.

(For instance, Washington State has some of the highest taxes on
sales and services. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington says,
"The state of Washington has the most regressive tax structure in the
U.S. It is one of only seven states that does not levy a personal
income tax. The wealthiest one percent of Washington taxpayers pay
3.2% of their income in taxes. The poorest fifth of Washington
taxpayers pay 17.6% of their income in taxes. The state also does not
collect a corporate income tax.")

However, the WALL STREET JOURNAL is the newspaper of the wealthy.
Thus, it's unsurprising that it would advocate regressive taxes.
After all, SOMEone has to pay for the corporate welfare that
so-greatly benefits the moguls at the top.

--jim

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