Lawmakers from nearly every state in the union are obsessed with hounding Americans who make purchases over the Internet. Thirteen members of the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (SSTP) – which numbers more than 40 states and the District of Columbia – committed in early October to begin moving toward the goal of this coalition, which is to levy a tax on electronic commerce.
Those states leading the charge are Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and West Virginia.
Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming are to follow shortly and, unless Congress stops the madness, nearly every state will soon be charging a tax on Internet sales.
Apparently, you only thought the Internet was the last safe-haven from the government.
Currently, Web sales can be taxed only if a nexus exists, that is, when the business making the sale has a presence in the state in which the customer lives. It’s the same tax rule that applies to mail order.
But the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, hatched five years ago by fevered minds lusting after any sale that might go untaxed, wants to homogenize the many tax laws across the country so states and local governments can get their hands on some of the billions of dollars that are trading hands through Web sales.
State and local officials say they desperately need the revenues.
But they will only use those funds to expand state government, which has been growing faster than the rate of inflation.
Look, when a person needs to go on a diet, you don’t wave a hot double-chocolate brownie, covered in whipped cream and fudge sauce under their nose.You keep it away from them because you know it will only make matters worse. You’re not trying to hurt the person; it’s for his own good!
Which is precisely why we have to kill this Internet sales tax effort.
Dreams don’t always come true; and we can’t let this one.