6 ms·

Exposing consumers to more regressive sales taxes is in no way good for the country. What would be good for the country is to abolish sales taxes entirely.

magduf 8y ago
Exactly; sales taxes generally just hurt the poor and middle class. A good case could be made for consumption taxes on luxury items, but taxing things like food and inexpensive consumer items (like non-luxury clothing) simply hurts poorer people while not significantly affecting wealthier ones.
- Spivak 8y ago
  Food is already exempt from sales tax. Take Ohio as a rough average for the country, here's the list of exemptions. https://www.tax.ohio.gov/faq/tabid/6315/Default.aspx?QuestionID=433&AFMID=11354 https://www.tax.ohio.gov/faq/tabid/6315/Default.aspx?Questio... The problem with consumption taxes is it just starts a debate over what is considered necessary/unnecessary. I think you would be better off exempting people rather than classes of items.
  - TheCoelacanth 8y ago
    > Food is already exempt from sales tax. From some sales taxes. That is far from universal.
  - magduf 8y ago
    >Food is already exempt from sales tax. Wrong. Come here to Virginia and try it. Or any Southern state for that matter. Note: In Virginia, groceries are taxed, but at a lower rate than the normal sales tax.
  - astura 8y ago
    No, not everywhere.
Spivak 8y ago
Cleaning up a loophole that evens the playing ground for different types of businesses is a good thing. If you have a problem with sales tax or taxation in general that's a different issue.
- mullingitover 8y ago
  States not having jurisdiction outside of their borders isn't exactly a loophole. If California wants to punish people for buying from Oregon, a state free from sales taxes, it should use its existing use tax and take it up with its own citizens. This ruling is saying that California can tell Oregon businesses what to do.
  - Spivak 8y ago
    Sure, but there's no point in getting bogged down in strict adherence to jurisdiction when we're all one country. Would you feel better if the ruling was that an online retailer in Oregon has to get a business license in every state which would come with the same requirement to collect sales tax? Same effect, but now businesses have to do more paperwork.
    - mullingitover 8y ago
      If we're all one country, how did the President get elected when the majority of the country voted for someone else? ..and yes, I'd prefer that the ruling was that the online retailer had to get a business license in every state. That ruling would create such a torches and pitchforks situation from citizens suddenly having their lives disrupted that we'd quickly return to status quo.
      - Spivak 8y ago
        I mean even if we lived under a monarchy we would still be one country, the two things aren't really related. That is the worst possible reason to enact a law. It should be obvious why making people's lives worse purposefully for political posturing is a bad idea, and you run the risk of your plan backfiring and having to live forever in the now-worse world.
s73v3r_ 8y ago
"What would be good for the country is to abolish sales taxes entirely." In favor of what, exactly? Don't pretend that sales taxes could just be abolished, and states would just go without that revenue. Kansas tried gutting their tax revenue; it failed miserably.
- Dirlewanger 8y ago
  Of course the guy you reply to has no replacement, and people downvote you. Typical SV noveau-riches that inexplicably hate taxes.
  - mullingitover 8y ago
    - I don't live in SV - I don't hate taxes - I wasn't babysitting this thread - The idea that, of all things, regressive sales tax is the only conceivable and fair thing to get state tax revenues from is ridiculous. Tax land value, most of the appreciation in land value is windfall gain.
    - ScottBurson 8y ago
      I'm strongly supportive of the LVT, but I'm not sure it can be the only tax strategy for every locality in a large and extremely heterogeneous country. Not every locality is seeing rapid appreciation in real estate values.
      - mullingitover 8y ago
        It doesn't have to be the only strategy, but sales tax isn't the only tax either, and LVT doesn't depend on appreciation.
- sdhgaiojfsa 8y ago
  Progressive income taxes, or property taxes.
- mullingitover 8y ago
  The most reasonable and fair replacement would be land value taxes. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_value_tax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_value_tax

magduf 8y ago

Exactly; sales taxes generally just hurt the poor and middle class. A good case could be made for consumption taxes on luxury items, but taxing things like food and inexpensive consumer items (like non-luxury clothing) simply hurts poorer people while not significantly affecting wealthier ones.

Spivak 8y ago
Food is already exempt from sales tax. Take Ohio as a rough average for the country, here's the list of exemptions. https://www.tax.ohio.gov/faq/tabid/6315/Default.aspx?QuestionID=433&AFMID=11354 https://www.tax.ohio.gov/faq/tabid/6315/Default.aspx?Questio... The problem with consumption taxes is it just starts a debate over what is considered necessary/unnecessary. I think you would be better off exempting people rather than classes of items.
- TheCoelacanth 8y ago
  > Food is already exempt from sales tax. From some sales taxes. That is far from universal.
- magduf 8y ago
  >Food is already exempt from sales tax. Wrong. Come here to Virginia and try it. Or any Southern state for that matter. Note: In Virginia, groceries are taxed, but at a lower rate than the normal sales tax.
- astura 8y ago
  No, not everywhere.

Spivak 8y ago

Cleaning up a loophole that evens the playing ground for different types of businesses is a good thing. If you have a problem with sales tax or taxation in general that's a different issue.

mullingitover 8y ago
States not having jurisdiction outside of their borders isn't exactly a loophole. If California wants to punish people for buying from Oregon, a state free from sales taxes, it should use its existing use tax and take it up with its own citizens. This ruling is saying that California can tell Oregon businesses what to do.
- Spivak 8y ago
  Sure, but there's no point in getting bogged down in strict adherence to jurisdiction when we're all one country. Would you feel better if the ruling was that an online retailer in Oregon has to get a business license in every state which would come with the same requirement to collect sales tax? Same effect, but now businesses have to do more paperwork.
  - mullingitover 8y ago
    If we're all one country, how did the President get elected when the majority of the country voted for someone else? ..and yes, I'd prefer that the ruling was that the online retailer had to get a business license in every state. That ruling would create such a torches and pitchforks situation from citizens suddenly having their lives disrupted that we'd quickly return to status quo.
    - Spivak 8y ago
      I mean even if we lived under a monarchy we would still be one country, the two things aren't really related. That is the worst possible reason to enact a law. It should be obvious why making people's lives worse purposefully for political posturing is a bad idea, and you run the risk of your plan backfiring and having to live forever in the now-worse world.

s73v3r_ 8y ago

"What would be good for the country is to abolish sales taxes entirely." In favor of what, exactly? Don't pretend that sales taxes could just be abolished, and states would just go without that revenue. Kansas tried gutting their tax revenue; it failed miserably.

Dirlewanger 8y ago
Of course the guy you reply to has no replacement, and people downvote you. Typical SV noveau-riches that inexplicably hate taxes.
- mullingitover 8y ago
  - I don't live in SV - I don't hate taxes - I wasn't babysitting this thread - The idea that, of all things, regressive sales tax is the only conceivable and fair thing to get state tax revenues from is ridiculous. Tax land value, most of the appreciation in land value is windfall gain.
  - ScottBurson 8y ago
    I'm strongly supportive of the LVT, but I'm not sure it can be the only tax strategy for every locality in a large and extremely heterogeneous country. Not every locality is seeing rapid appreciation in real estate values.
    - mullingitover 8y ago
      It doesn't have to be the only strategy, but sales tax isn't the only tax either, and LVT doesn't depend on appreciation.
sdhgaiojfsa 8y ago
Progressive income taxes, or property taxes.
mullingitover 8y ago
The most reasonable and fair replacement would be land value taxes. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_value_tax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_value_tax