3 ms·

So which is it?: are you lucky enough to live in a state without sales tax, or do you pay your state's use taxes promptly when you buy stuff online?

• gnaritas 14y ago
  That's not even close to the same thing, whether an online retailer should charge taxes or not is a matter between the state and the retailer to settle and is currently up in the air; though I hear amazon will soon charge but will also introduce same day delivery. That's nothing like lying about my history to an employer to get a job or promotion.
  • waterlesscloud 14y ago
    The retailer does no owe sales tax to the state, you do as a citizen of that state. You, not the retailer, are legally obligated to report your purchases and pay the tax.
    • gnaritas 14y ago
      I never said the retailer owed taxes to the state. And as I said, taxing online sales is a currently hot issue and relying on voluntary compliance of consumers isn't going to cut it and every state knows that. This is completely irrelevant anyway, I reject any assertion that failing to pay taxes due (often out of ignorance) on internet purchases is in any way comparable to deceiving your employer and co-workers by lying (on purpose) about your resume to gain social status.
      • genwin 14y ago
        You're rationalizing. It's tax evasion, a crime, regardless of ignorance. Many states have a simple online form for it. That it's voluntary doesn't make a difference; paying property taxes is also voluntary for people who own their homes. These facts are highly relevant: when you're a tax scofflaw it's best not to point fingers at those merely lying.
        • gnaritas 14y ago
          No I'm not rationalizing, I'm stating my opinion about the morality of the issue. And you're making yet another irrelevant and bad comparison, property taxes are generally rolled into a mortgage and you are given a bill for the taxes due. You're grasping at straws.
          • genwin 14y ago
            People who own their homes don't have mortgages. They pay their property taxes on their own initiative, the same as the honest people paying their use taxes. You've stated your opinion about morality all right. You think it's okay to be a scofflaw (definition: "a person who flouts the law, esp. by failing to comply with a law that is difficult to enforce effectively"), even for tax evasion. Yet you'd look down your nose at someone lying to make ends meet. Tsk tsk!
            • gnaritas 14y ago
              No you can't move the goalpost; were talking about lying to raise social status and get ahead, not lying to make ends meet. It's clear you're not capable of an honest conversation, good day.
              • genwin 14y ago
                Even lying to raise social status and get ahead is better than cheating on your taxes, according to the law.
                • gnaritas 14y ago
                  Law and morals are vastly different things; sad that you confuse the two.
                  • genwin 14y ago
                    It's the opposite. Obama, the chief enforcer of laws in our country, said "Our law is by definition a codification of morality." Lying is legal when society deems the lies to be acceptable or not wrong enough. Tax evasion, however, is considered to be morally wrong by society, hence it's illegal.
  • genwin 14y ago
    waterlesscloud is correct. It's a crime (tax evasion) for you to not pay your state's use taxes. Much more serious than lying to an employer; at least that's legal.