How is preventing tax evasion BS?

I think my main issue with this is that most of the things I buy on Ebay are used, meaning someone already paid sales tax on them. Why do we need to pay sales tax on used items twice?

 

I'm not sure I understand that line of thinking. Have you ever purchased a used game from Gamestop or a local game shop? Every made a purchase from a thirift store? They all charge you sales tax. Whether the item is used or new is inconsequential. 

I do get that, but I would say it should matter that you have already paid sales tax on something. It doesn't really matter what you are buying it's the transaction itself. I'm probably just bitching because who wants to spend extra money on stuff.

I like your avatar picture by the way!

Just be thankful you don't pay an extra 50-100% or so on shipping, and then ANOTHER 25% on customs.

I'm more concerned that I get taxed on my earnings, then get taxed to spend the money that's left over.

Think about it for a second. If no taxes were issued on used goods, how are you to prove something isn't used? It would be exploited so badly and quickly.

Every purchase you make you're supposed to pay tax on it. Every time you sell something, you're supposed to pay tax on it.

I'm not sure why some folks are so hard up against this. I'm willing to bet everyone here benefits from some state or town service that is paid for by taxes. Would you be willing to give those services up to save $1 on a game purchase? A lot of your public safety is paid for by taxes, fyi.

You don't get taxed on "what's left over". You get taxed on your income. You get taxed on most goods. You're not being taxed on what's in your checking account unless it paid out interest or any dividends.

Would you prefer to not have local police and fire departments on standby to protect your communities? Do you want to live in a shithole without a place of education? Probably not.

If I make $50,000 a year, I pay about $10,000 in taxes. Of the $40,000 left over, I get taxed again on that when I spend it so the same income is getting taxed twice.

Different taxes and you aren’t being taxed twice. You’re being taxed once on your income then you’re paying a sales tax on most goods, not all. 

You clearly don’t understand how taxes work. 

 

I'd rather they just take it out than ask me to keep track of all of my out of state purchases, add them up, take the extra nickels and dimes for taxes, and then send the appropriate tax to each state, probably in change and packed tightly into a little envelope (or send a use tax to my own state). Or has no one else been paying sales tax or use tax all these years?

I didn't know they started to do tax collection per purchase on states that get tacked onto whatever your price+shipping are to the buyer, at least on the sellers end it's invisible and not our problem. The vile and sleazy tax law I knew of was for both MA and VT, anything at all from your own front door garage sale to ebay stuff if you make over $600 in an entire year they slap you with heavy taxation which is disgusting. I've got a friend in that state who is stuck with things because he has to try and under the table use facebook and their type because ebay starts hitting hard and fast once that level is hit.

While my state isn't on the ebay list to put the screws to, I have been noticing for some years we do have a law on the books to collect tax on purchases online for digital content so Nintendo and Sony will add state tax to the buys, yet gift cards are still immune.

There's a lot more than just two types of taxes. If you're only paying twice, you're getting off lucky. 
 

You pay tax on the gift cards when you purchase them. 

 

Slight segue, but I only realized a year or so ago that you don't pay sales tax if using store credit. I sometimes take advantage of Gamestop trade-in promotions like 50% extra credit and save it to use when they are running sales promotions for the triple win. Extra credit for the trade, reduced purchase price and zero sales tax.

Not in this state I don't. I imagine some states would charge it but here if i went and grabbed a $20 gift card to a restaurant or a point card it's just that.

You don't pay tax on a gift card purchase. If a store is taxing you for a gift card purchase, they aren't supposed to be.

*New Hampshire has entered the chat
 

well played, lol

Location of the SELLER is irrelevant.

The location of the BUYER is what matters here.


This is about eBay being made to help in complying with that line on your state tax returns where you claim to your state that you made no untaxed out of state purchases that should have been subject to state sales tax.


Most people didn't worry about this before, because the amount of out-of-state untaxed buying people used to do was relatively small.
(historically the only "big ticket" items this would hit would be driving down to Delaware to buy a car to try to avoid sales tax which you would instead have to pay to your state when you eventually register the vehicle)

But in the online purchase age, states making sure they get their slice of Amazon (and other online) sales is a large amount of cash, in total.
 

Definitely this.

Gift card purchases are NOT taxable.
But purchases made with a gift card should be taxed as normal sales of any other type.

 

It has affected me slightly but is still usually still much cheaper then local prices.

Had to look it up - you're right. I never buy them, so I just assumed. The more you know!  

Makes sense, though. They're equivalent to money.

If you paid tax on a card and then paid tax on the item the card was used to purchase, people would be pretty pissed.  

 

I honestly figured they just gave point equivalent, but that makes sense too   And yea, that would piss people off for sure lol