New Haven Independent

Posted by: GeekGirl | December 30, 2008 10:45 AM

The problem with sales taxes and the internet is that there are 1000s of different sales taxes out there.

Say you're a CT company and you sell something to a California resident. What's the sales tax? It varies from locality to locality. Which is why the Supreme Court essentially said that was an onerous burden for companies with no presence in the state, i.e. nexus.

Now, there is an attempt to work on this issue, see: http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/

Posted by: JP | December 30, 2008 11:45 AM

We already have that its called the use tax its just no one bothers to pay it.

Posted by: City Hall Watch | December 30, 2008 12:25 PM

Any new taxes at a time of extreme stress on families and a larger extreme downturn in the general economy is just stupid. Connecticut legislators should look first to the multi-billion increases in spending they've approved in the last five years. Cut all that out and you would balance the budget. In one of the last three surplus years, there was a $1.1 billion surplus and the braintrust in Hartford spent $900 million of it for programatic enhancements and expansions. That was not a one time revenue boost. The same is true in the municipalities - they spent us into the toilet. It is not a republican idea to trim back the size, scope and expansiveness of both the state and city budgets, it's a taxpayer's idea; it's a homeowner's idea. We can't take it anymore.

Posted by: Ellis Copleland | December 30, 2008 12:26 PM

First and foremost the state could save a boatload of money by putting a moratorium on doing business with the mob. Everybody knows Corrupticut is the most mobbed up state in the union. And it's not like we don't know who they are.

Secondly, Connecticut has WAY too many idiotic taxes now, increasing them will NOT help matters. You need to ask yourself, "how do southern states get away with having such low taxes?" They provide the same level of service. We need to be getting rid of taxes on vehicles period. We need to be lowering property taxes. We need to get rid of the minimum business tax. all this would begin to free people up to start ventures and begin making money, which would be taxed by the INCOME tax. Speaking of which, legalizing drugs and taxing them should be done.

Posted by: Deuce Frehley | December 31, 2008 8:07 AM

We don't pay a state sales tax when ordering products out of state over the phone or by fax, why should the internet be any different? Tax, tax, tax. That's the liberal way.

Posted by: Steve K | December 31, 2008 2:18 PM

Just to help Mr. Frehley and others, from Nolo Press:

"If an online retailer has a physical presence in a particular state, such as a store, business office, or warehouse, it must collect sales tax from customers in that state. If a business does not have a physical presence in a state, it is not required to collect sales tax for sales into that state. This rule is derived from a 1992 Supreme Court decision which held that mail-order merchants did not need to collect sales taxes for sales into states where they did not have a physical presence."

It is a Grand Canyon sized loop hole that should be closed. In my opinion, sales tax (regardless of how the sale is made) should be charged at the time of sale based on the locale to which the item is being delivered. Example: buy it in Idaho, ship it to Connecticut, then Connecticut gets the sales tax. It would prevent companies from locating in states without sales taxes and injuring states that do.

It is not only liberal (for which I am quite proud to be one) it is fair.

Posted by: maddy kazansky | January 4, 2009 8:24 PM

is this steven kalb from brooklyn looking for maddy kazansky email me how have you been i saw a comment on th internet tried emailing you said email address wrong

Posted by: steven kalb | June 1, 2009 9:56 AM

Looking for Maddy Kazansky

My email is stevenkalb@optonline.net