B & H sales tax

[corralup]

Speaking of getting deals why don't we pay sales tax to B & H ? Not that I'm complaining or anything. Is it because of the state they are in?

This is what is stated by BH Photo
Sales Tax

If the order is shipped within New York State , the law requires that local sales tax be added to the order total including the amount of the shipping charge. If you have resale or tax exempt status, please make your order by Phone, Fax or E-Mail, since we do not have this option available on our web site as of this time.
We do not collect tax for orders shipped out of New York State. Purchases in our store are subject to an 8.375% local sales tax. This tax is not a VAT, and cannot be recovered by non-USA visitors when returning home.

[groovyone]

Originally Posted by corralup

Is it because of the state they are in?

Yes. They have a huge storefront in NY so they have to charge tax in that state. If the place you are ordering from is based in the same state as you, you will have to pay tax. I had to pay tax on an internet order for car parts since they were based in Texas, even though they didn't have an actual storefront.

[corralup]

I guess now you know I don't order off the internet hardly ever. That is a good thing I think.

[maskale]

yeah most online stores do not charge sales tax, but always check your total to see if they do.

I always add the item to my cart to see the tax and shipping, to know my total cost before I decide who to buy from. I almost always by online for the sake of ease and because it is usually cheaper if not for the sales tax alone.

[SevenAndMe]

Sales tax is charged if the company actually has a brick and mortar facility or operation in your state.
Here in TX ordering from B&H is free of sales tax.

[corralup]

Thanks. Now I wish UPS would hurry up. I got the BEAST. :) 70-200mm 2.8 Nikon.

[maskale]

:) Yeah when I got my 70-200 it was huge, I got use to it and needed more reach so then got the 200-400mm, and it was then huge. I have also gotten use to it, so my next huge is the 600mm, but I dont know if I will ever save enough for that.

So don't stop saving, you will want more.

I am familar with checking the tracking every few hours looking for updates on where its at. LOL

[Wes]

Congrats on your purchase.

Given the current financial climate in the country, and the powers that be in Washington, I'll be real surprised if we go another year or two where we don't pay sales taxes on stuff bought out of state.

[corralup]

Yippy it's here. It works well with a 2x TC. I love this lens!!! Shots are super duper sharp! Aaaaahhhhh finally got a good one.

[jeffkohn]

B&H doesn't collect sales tax on out of state orders because the sales tax is supposed to be remitted to the state the purchaser resides in, not the business. So for B&H to collect sales tax on all orders they would have to charge the appropriate amount based on where the customer lives, and them submit it to the appropriate tax authority which would be a logistical nightmare.

Technically, when you purchase something from an out of state business, you the purchaser are responsible for remitting sales tax to your state taxing authority, but nobody does that.

[andyz]

There is already talk to start taxing internet sales. It has been put off several times, but the states are asserting more and more pressure. In the past it was held back to allow e-commerce to grow. Well, some will say it has. And the nightmare will begin for e-merchants.

[Coelus]

Given the current financial climate in the country, and the powers that be in Washington, I'll be real surprised if we go another year or two where we don't pay sales taxes on stuff bought out of state.

And shoot another hole in the foot of commerce. I look for federal and state fees on internet service too.

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by jeffkohn

Technically, when you purchase something from an out of state business, you the purchaser are responsible for remitting sales tax to your state taxing authority, but nobody does that.

And if you're in business, you are required to report business and personal taxable purchases when you file your sales tax return quarterly/annually.

[sldi]

But if you fail to pay your taxes, you are likely to be called upon by someone in Government to become a cabinet member.....oops..I didn't mean anything political there. :)

[kenw]

It is a huge loss of revenue for the states, so look for some sort of action soon. It won’t be popular but I believe it is only a matter of time.

The difficulty is the varying tax rates even within a state. There must be several 100 separate tax rates just within Texas alone. To me the only workable solution is to collect the base state sales tax, 1 per state, and go from there. That would cover the vast majority but it would leave all the little taxing entities (city, municipal, county, Metro, yada yada yada) out in the cold. It would still make internet sales cheaper, since I would pay 6% instead of 8 7/8% (or whatever).

And since we live in a no-state-income tax state, sales tax is often deductible and any web sales tax would be as well.