The next time you go on Ebay or Amazon, some of your purchase may go to your state capitol. The US Senate voted convincingly, 75 yea, 24 no, to give states more authority to collect taxes off purchases made out of state online.
Not only are the Feds strapped for cash, most states are too. I read somewhere around $20 Billion in?state sales?taxes go uncollected by Internet transactions. In many states, online purchasers are ‘supposed’ to pay?a sales tax when they click purchase. Whether it happens or not, that’s another story. ??When the national debt is 17 trillion, 20 billion doesn’t sound like much. But when you bring it to state and local?economies, that is a fortune!
Here is the most startling part of these potential levies: Both parties sponsor this! Two of the main sponsors are Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. Twenty-six Republicans and 49 Democrats supported the?state tax measure.?Maybe we can all get along. Their argument is that levies will give retail stores and small and local business an advantage. But opponents say it will entice more big businesses to go overseas, where sales taxes can’t be enforced. Those opponents have one point: More outsourcing is the last thing our economy needs right now.
What is your argument? I think state levies are a good ides. Not only can it help local businesses, that state revenue can improve our schools, create jobs and erase some of our state deficit. Then again, the naysayers have a point. I’m sure there are many in corporate America that’s just looking for an excuse to send more jobs overseas. But I say the good outweighs the bad. What do you say?