Actually I think Farhad Manjoo makes a good case for the "Marketplace Fairness Act." He points out that taxes are already owed on Internet purchases. It's just that nobody pays them. The act would require online merchants to collect the taxes owed -- just as they do for non-online sales. Besides that, the act would require states to simplify their tax systems and provide free software to companies if they want the companies to collect taxes from citizens of their states.
Of course nobody likes to pay taxes. But taxes are necessary to support government, which itself is necessary. We are among the lowest taxed people in the world. So the amount of taxes we pay isn't the issue. Wanting even lower taxes is simply both unrealistic and selfish. Objecting to taxes is like objecting to traffic lights. Of course they slow you down. But consider the alternative. Furthermore, conservative economists (as Manjoo points out) prefer sales taxes to other forms. So this is the sort of tax that conservative economists favor. Read the article. It all makes pretty good sense. *-- Russ Abbott* *_____________________________________________* *** Professor, Computer Science* * California State University, Los Angeles* * My paper on how the Fed can fix the economy: ssrn.com/abstract=1977688* * Google voice: 747-*999-5105 Google+: plus.google.com/114865618166480775623/ * vita: *sites.google.com/site/russabbott/ CS Wiki <http://cs.calstatela.edu/wiki/> and the courses I teach *_____________________________________________* On Sun, May 5, 2013 at 2:29 PM, Gillian Densmore <gil.densm...@gmail.com>wrote: > Grr just no, the net is one of the few places where we aren't nickled and > dimed with taxes or gulable consumers see 1.99 and think a penny less than > 2 dollars is a savings. > > On Sun, May 5, 2013 at 1:17 PM, Owen Densmore <o...@backspaces.net> wrote: > >> This is an interesting article, appearing in the S.F. New Mexican sunday >> edition. >> (SFNM left out two paragraphs) >> >> >> http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/04/national_internet_sales_tax_why_i_love_the_marketplace_fairness_act_and.html >> >> Its interesting on a number of >> "net culture" as well as tax law perspectives: >> >> - The SFNM paper has a "virtual" publication's article. Slate and >> HuffPost seems quite popular. The new R >> euters >> ? >> >> - The article discusses retail tax, but with interesting nuances >> >> - Amazon supports it because they want to build large warehouses in most >> states for same-day delivery >> >> - Look out WalMart! >> >> - The law will only go into effect if all states simplify their tax codes >> and provide free software to on-line businesses >> >> - Conservatives and Liberals both agree that "its time now" .. the web >> businesses no longer need the >> subsidy >> . >> >> - As the population ages, they'd be fine with on-line buying with same >> day delivery, even from local businesses, and this law is likely to build >> an ecology for easy delivery, vans for example. >> >> - >> There is an exemption for on-line stores with less than $1million annual >> revenues. >> >> - The exception is being considered unfair with large, but not nation >> wide, on-line retailers, and by eBay who services many of them. >> >> -- Owen >> >> ============================================================ >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >> to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >
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