bass pro/sales tax

[mferris]

just went to bass pro to order a new trolling motor only to find out they now charge sales tax for most states......ordered it from cablelas!!!!!!!!!

[JigMe]

just went to bass pro to order a new trolling motor only to find out they now charge sales tax for most states......ordered it from cablelas!!!!!!!!!

You went to the BPS, and dont want to pay tax? are you tax exempted? or work for 501 c3?

[5bass]

[movedhere] General Bass Fishing Forum [move by] five.bass.limit.

[Stasher1]

just went to bass pro to order a new trolling motor only to find out they now charge sales tax for most states......ordered it from cablelas!!!!!!!!!

If BPS has a location in your state, you're going to have to pay sales tax. Don't like it? Move to a state with no sales tax or order from another retailer.

[bass or bass ?]

just went to bass pro to order a new trolling motor only to find out they now charge sales tax for most states......ordered it from cablelas!!!!!!!!!

If BPS has a location in your state, you're going to have to pay sales tax. Don't like it? Move to a state with no sales tax or order from another retailer.

And if Cabela's is in your state, you're going to have to pay sales tax from them as well. It isn't just BPS. Any business with with "brick and mortar" store in your state, you'll have to pay sales tax on online orders.

[Lund Explorer]

just went to bass pro to order a new trolling motor only to find out they now charge sales tax for most states......ordered it from cablelas!!!!!!!!!

If BPS has a location in your state, you're going to have to pay sales tax. Don't like it? Move to a state with no sales tax or order from another retailer.

And if Cabela's is in your state, you're going to have to pay sales tax from them as well. It isn't just BPS. Any business with with "brick and mortar" store in your state, you'll have to pay sales tax on online orders.

You can add to that.  If your state has a sales tax, it most likely always has a use tax which is due on all purchases made from out of state.  In Michigan, you are required to make an annual declaration of all such purchases on your income tax return, and to pay this tax. 

No comment on how often it is used.  :-X

[Simp]

just went to bass pro to order a new trolling motor only to find out they now charge sales tax for most states......ordered it from cablelas!!!!!!!!!

If BPS has a location in your state, you're going to have to pay sales tax. Don't like it? Move to a state with no sales tax or order from another retailer.

And if Cabela's is in your state, you're going to have to pay sales tax from them as well. It isn't just BPS. Any business with with "brick and mortar" store in your state, you'll have to pay sales tax on online orders.

You can add to that. If your state has a sales tax, it most likely always has a use tax which is due on all purchases made from out of state. In Michigan, you are required to make an annual declaration of all such purchases on your income tax return, and to pay this tax.

No comment on how often it is used. :-X

I think IL is or just about passed something similar. BTW I can't remember if it was BPS or Cableas (I think it was BPS), but I called them up for some help on a online order last year. Anyway somehow I got to catalog sales and was informed they don't charge tax on catalog mail orders only on online orders. So I placed a catalog order and sure enough no taxes, but the same price on the shipping and items.

[I.rar]

i got charged sales tax when my order shipped from MO. i did use a free shipping coupon code so its whatever.

[Sam]

I was under the impression that if the retailer had a location in your state you would be charged the state's sales tax.

If no location in you state then you would not be charged the tax.

Just wondering if that is still true and will double check some BPS, Cabelas and Tackle Warehouse invoices to clarify if they are charging sales taxes. 

[Hot Rod]

Born free!

Taxed to death!!! >

[J Francho]

If you are in NY state, you pay NYS sales tax if you bought online.  Its in your tax return form.  Now, anyone actually do this?

[GrundleLove]

Maybe you should just pay the tax.

Hippie.

[moby bass]

In PA, we are to voluntarily pay use tax on any thing purchased outside the state on which no tax was collected.

So in other words, if I buy something from Florida, and they don't charge me a sales tax, I am to remit to PA 6% of the cost of the item.  They actually sent small business owners notices a few years ago that we were to go through our records for the last 3 or 4 years and remit sales taxes on items we may have purchased that were not tax exempt.

Failure to do this could result in an audit.  I think the word "piracy" fits here.

[Pantera61]

*** THE FOLLOWING POST IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE ONLY OPINION BASED UPON PERSONAL RESEARCH. I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY. I DO NOT RECOMMEND AND THIS POST IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION TO EVADE TAXES!!!***

It boils down to ignorance of the Constitution and cost vs benefit ratio.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/91-0194.ZO.html

It would APPEAR for it to be illegal for states to require a Use Tax on out of state purchases. You're a resident of the United States and have the right to make your purchases wherever you wish. I understand freedom of choice is a radical idea but nonetheless people should be reminded from time to time.

The reason people choose to continue to pay Use Taxes is because it's still less expensive them than to hire attorneys and fight it to the Supreme Court. The path of least resistance is preferable to the boot of tyranny upon one's throat.

[SirSnookalot]

If you are in NY state, you pay NYS sales tax if you bought online. Its in your tax return form. Now, anyone actually do this?

True, in New York a resident is required to pay sales tax on line purchases, but there are exceptions ( maybe medications), fishing tackle certainly isn't one of them. I would think that one would not pay an additional amount on sales tax already paid, one may qualify for a tax deduction on certain purchases. Your CPA or tax preparer would know for sure, so not including sales tax paid may not be in ones benefit.

Lund Explorer would know this.  A CPA or tax preparer can only prepare a return on the information given

[mferris]

didn't mean to create a big deal,just letting you guys know they now chg. tax...i have ordered many things from bass pro shops and this is the first time i've been charged tax...(granted i haven't ordered anything since last summer)

[bassinCPA]

Agree with Lund about the use tax, which applies on a state by state basis.  In Louisiana, we have the same voluntary reporting.  As to how much it is reported, I will not comment.

One thing to remember is that it applies to state tax only so parish, county, or local taxes should not be charged or collected.  At least the tax burden in this situation is lessened somewhat.

On a different note, what ticks me off is the 10% federal excise tax embedded in the cost of all the fishing equipment we purchase.  This is one of those quiet little taxes imposed that most people don't know about.  I just want to make as many people aware of this as possible.

A link is provided if anybody wants to the federal directive in more detail.

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=203117,00.html

[Lund Explorer]

didn't mean to create a big deal,just letting you guys know they now chg. tax...i have ordered many things from bass pro shops and this is the first time i've been charged tax...(granted i haven't ordered anything since last summer)

I don't think you created a big deal, I simply call it an opportunity for folks to enjoy a learning experience.

Many people may not realize that the issue of collecting sales taxes on interstate sales has been going on for a number of years.  While specific rules dealing with the subject have been on most State's books for years, it was these same states that have tried to get around these rules by taking quite a few large retailers to court.  The main reason the states did this was due to the fact that they weren't very successful collecting use taxes from their residents.  Some of these major retailers have agreed to collect taxes for these states in an attempt to reduce their costs of litigation.  But, there is also the hidden cost that these companies are hit with such as additional bookkeeping to try to track multi-state sales along with the preparation of multiple sales tax returns.

People may not like to pay that sales tax.  They may just simply want ignore the use tax.  But all of us have to deal with the hidden costs related to this subject, by way of higher prices for the products we purchase.  People should also consider what all of this could mean to the smaller retailer who uses the Internet or other means to sell their products to residents of other states.  It's my guess that if these folks were forced to collect and remit 40 or so different sales taxes, most would choose the option to stop providing interstate sales.  That wouldn't help either the business owner or the customer.

So the next time you place an order with an out of state retailer, try to remember why you might be charged sales tax, why you might want to think about what you could owe use taxes, and how much the cost of the things you purchased were raised to cover these costs.

[Senkoman12]

If you are in NY state, you pay NYS sales tax if you bought online. Its in your tax return form. Now, anyone actually do this?

True, in New York a resident is required to pay sales tax on line purchases, but there are exceptions ( maybe medications), fishing tackle certainly isn't one of them. I would think that one would not pay an additional amount on sales tax already paid, one may qualify for a tax deduction on certain purchases. Your CPA or tax preparer would know for sure, so not including sales tax paid may not be in ones benefit.

Lund Explorer would know this. A CPA or tax preparer can only prepare a return on the information given

i live in NY and you only have to pay sales tax if the store is in state. if it isnt you dont have to pay tax. there 3 i believe bps in NY so i pay sales tax when i order from them. i ordered from TW and my order came out to $113.97 without tax, since i didnt pay tax i payed $113.97

[K.Fox]

Yeah I hate paying taxes for nicely paved roads, education, police protection, fire protection and an army that is keeping me safe from terrorists..... Just not fair.

[Lund Explorer]

Just one short story, and a few pertinent facts for those who may purchase out of state products.

The State of Michigan, along with a few other states were having a problem with their residents purchasing smokes out of state from low tax states.  Then they banded together, sued these retailers for the right to go through their customer and credit card lists.  Shortly after that, they sent bills for the missing tobacco tax to those folks.  For some, the tax bill ran into the thousands. 

It sort of makes a person wonder when the states will start to do the same thing to recoup lost sales/use tax revenues.

And even though your state may include a use tax declaration on your annual income tax form, leaving this part blank could mean that the statute of limitations has not yet begun.  As person could possibly owe use taxes for any number of years that the state wanted to go after.  Filling in the form with a zero, or with an amount lower than the real amount owed could also lead to a fraud charge.

So if you have trouble sleeping at night, do the right thing and pay the tax.  Or, just figure that you'll never get caught, sort of like all those smokers did. 

[Pa Angler]

In PA you pay sales tax with online and store purchases the only time it wasn't charged was when BPS and Cabela's first opened stores here in PA if I remember it was for 5 years of tax exemption.

Tight Lines

Pa Angler