On Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:14:08 -0800 (PST), BobR
wrote:

On Nov 26, 8:07*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
BobR wrote:

Then your issue was with the local vendor and only the local vendor.
That doesn't change the fact that buying on the internet from out of
state vendors that don't collect the sales tax is giving an unfair
advantage to the internet vendor. *Amazing that your internet vendor
in state was able to calculate the tax.

I reject the notion of "unfair advantage." Passing tax laws to interfere
with the marketplace is a terrible idea. It wasn't too many years ago that
some states had "fair trade" laws that prohibited stores from selling at the
price they wanted, such as a "loss leader." New Jersey, and its law
prohibiting self-serve gas stations is another example. As a consequence,
motorists in New Jersey have to pay more than those in neighboring states
for gasoline.

No, the absence of a sales tax on internet sales is a "competitive"
advantage, not an "unfair" one. Let the local store compete on location and
immediate sales. Plus, there's nothing to stop the local store from offering
their products on a web site. All they need is a 12-year old male to be
their webmaster.

I must totally disagree, it is a totally unfair competitive advantage
that can't be make up by setting up and selling their products on the
web.

Let's see, the sales tax advantage ranges from 0 to 9 percent,
thereabouts. The typical price advantage shopping online ranges from
nothing to 30 percent or more, with 15 to 25 percent being most common.
Sounds to me like the price advantage dominates the tax advantage.
Moreover i like being able to trade off have it now versus better price,
and mucking with the taxes would not really change that. It is just a tax
grab.

Thus: not that important, let alone clearly not unfair.

?-)