New tax trick — from both sides You would think that in an election year, with anti-tax fervor at an all time high, our politicians at state and national levels would be adverse to mining every nook and cranny for more taxes.
Democrats, generally, are more willing than Republicans to hop on a new tax bandwagon. But now it looks like Republican governors, in a desperate attempt to send more revenue to state coffers, are quite willing to stick purchasers with sales taxes for whatever they buy online.
Back in 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a state cannot charge an out-of-state company local and state sales taxes unless the company has a "physical presence" in that state. It's been called the "Amazon exemption" and no sales tax can be charged unless the out-of-state company opens up a distribution center, a warehouse, or some type of facility in the purchaser's resident state. .....For the full story, subscribe to the The Ouachita Citizen's NEW E-Edition!
Jim Brown is a former Commissioner of Insurance, Secretary of State and state senator from Ferriday. His past columns can be read at www.jimbrownusa.com. Brown’s nationally syndicated radio show airs each Sunday morning from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at www.jimbrownusa.com. |