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If you make 9% on your money in a year your doing well by most standards. Avoid paying sales tax and it's just like you had that money working for you for 1 year. Most with money got that way by being frugal and continuing to do so. Sucks for the brick and mortar store (I own 2), but just the way it is.
I should add that I spent over $1,000 on Awab clamps over the years, it adds up.
While I prefer to avoid any tax when possible, I wouldn't let it stop me from making what I feel is the right purchase. I bought something last night that cost me $28 in sales tax. I could have bought it online and saved the tax but I wanted it now and prefer local stores, particularly when there's an issue or a return is needed.
Legally in most states there is sales and use tax. One you pay to a local supplier the other you pay to the state for purchases not otherwise taxed.
First it's just fair to pay your share like the rest of us.
Second it's often tax deductible.
Third especially to you guys in the more generous states it's how you pay for being so generous.
Jack. $28 is about 10 minutes fuel cost. It's not a life changer. On the other hand for many of us who sell to make a living it should be an equalizer.
To purchase out of state to save sales tax is self defeating as the money for the state has to come from somewhere and byallowing people to not pay sales tax and shifting to increased property tax you loose again.
A war began and a great nation was born, in part, over a little tea tax. There were many loyalists at the time who didn't see what all the fuss was about. A similar attitude prevails even to this day, but I don't share the loyalists' mindset.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boatsb
The government did absolutely nothing to contribute to the manufacture, distribution, or sales of anything I buy, contrary to the claims of some. The government "deserves" its sales tax the same as a thief deserves the contents of my wallet. Taxes these days go mostly to funding socialist programs, which are an abomination. Roads are largely paid for from the gas tax, though they'd be better maintained if an enormous percentage of that wasn't immorally diverted to obscenely expensive and uneconomical (and socialistic) mass transit systems that most people prefer not to use. Not supporting socialism is worth the effort. And I assure you, given the cost of this refit, the potential amount of sales tax that would have been siphoned out of my wallet would be far from trivial.
Another example that inspires me to abhor socialism: There is a rental house on the water near the boatyard. Nobody in that house has worked in all the years I've been doing this project, but they've got pretty nice cars parked out front. They're all capable of working, but why work when you can sign up for maximum federal and state welfare benefits, pool resources, and live on a tributary of the Chesapeake, smoking cigarettes and watching TV all day and drinking beer all night? One of the bums got lung cancer, but our national socialist health care system took care of that. The smoker is cured! But he still smokes, so we know how that's going to work out and who will get stuck with the bill. The list goes on. I deeply resent socialism in my country.
As a matter of principle, my property (including money) is mine and I prefer to keep as much of it under my control as I can. I'd even pay a bit more in shipping than pay the government its taxes, just to spite the socialists who are bit-by-bit turning the nation into something that history shows never ends well.
Apologies to the mods for diverting into money and politics, but these things ARE related to boating and have a significant negative impact on it.
I don't believe there can be a "fair share" of an immoral thing, and socialism on a grand scale is inherently immoral. Making it tax deductible doesn't make it moral.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boatsb
There's an alternative you didn't list: do less immoral socialism.
Lucky you to be above the laws the rest of us live by.
While you do your thing remember the rest of us probably pa our taxes.
While I'm not a fan of paying it. Sales tax is the fairest of taxes. You only pay it when you decide to. If you don't spend the money it's not taxed. I'm sure in your world all that matters is you so it's a hard concept to grasp but think about it.
Our other option would be VAT. With that system the tax is added up front so there no escape.
There is discussion at the federal level by the way to enforce the sales tax when buying online. A few companies have been fined and some even blacklisted by governments in states that have been cheated out of their taxes.
By the way if you don't like the system work to change it for the better instead of cheating it and bitching about it
don't quite understand how the latest posts here relate to roamer refit. Oh, well. I was born i 1947. War debt was being repaid. In 1952 marginal tax rate was 87%. Now dad, a CG CPO, supported our family of 5 on that one salary. He probably paid little income tax. We always owned the house. I really never thought of the concept of renting or apartments. etc. All of dad's cronies also owned homes.
So what has happened? Why does wealthest and most respected corp in the world (Apple) get away with holding 200 billion in cash while borrowing billons because of low interest rates? Why are they allowed to use that money to buy back their own stock to inflate value to compensate executives? Here's the deal guys, nothing in the constitution protects such behavior. What are our elected officials doing? They certainly are not allowing my dad.
Gary
Another Great Thread that has gone down the toilet what I think is a Mod should clean this up and we get back to seeing Q work and not worry about what he is or isn't paying!
I mentioned in the article that I buy online whenever possible to avoid paying confiscatory sales tax that are mostly used to support immoral socialist welfare programs. Given what I'm into this refit, if I was paying sales tax on everything it would be a significant sum, and taxes (and the programs they support) affect boating. So this discussion isn't off the mark.
GaryNW, it's dangerous for people to believe our Constitution grants rights, which it absolutely does not. Read through it and you'll see that the Constitution only enumerates a very few things the government can legitimately do. The Bill of Rights double-pad locks the government, prohibiting the government from doing anything respecting certain rights and requiring specific things (e.g. due process before the government can imprison or seize property). The government regularly violates the Constitution, but Apple's "right" to borrow money doesn't come from it. What you should be asking (after reading the Constitution) is, does the government have any legitimate power to affect Apple borrowing money? Or, does it have the "consent of the governed" to affect interest rates?
Boatsb, I couldn't help but notice you didn't respond to or refute any point I made. You did say I'm "above the laws the rest of us live by." But then you defeat your own point by rightly saying "You only pay it when you decide to." You're obviously a big fan of paying sales tax, but your preference isn't "the law."
I decide not to pay sales and other taxes every chance I get. That's not "above the law." If you like paying sales and other taxes, feel free to open your wallet. To be logically consistent, presumably you don't take tax deductions or credits that lessen your income tax bill. Taking them isn't required by law, after all, and "you only take them when you decide to."
Q I said it is the law in most states.
I and others lose business to out of state and online re-sellers who don't collect tax.
The law states sale and use tax so that either is paid. Not only do I pay tax on items I buy for my use but I collect as required in the state.
Why should I obey the law if others don't? The same reason I don't cheat on my wife when others do. Its the right thing to do and the penalties when caught could be serious.
Im sure Sams has the same issues. They have to charge tax for states the have people in and how many go out to find it for less elsewhere.