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I think it goes like this: Because Paizo is based in Washington state, we Washingtonians have to pay the sales tax, even though no one else does. Unfortunately, Amazon.com is also based in Washington. Grrr! Please, someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think that's how it is.
Trent
P.S. I don't think the fact that they are PDFs changes anything.
Director of Brand Strategy
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Yeah, we weren't collecting it before and we should have since we have been paying it. You haven't noticed it before because this was a recent fix to the store code.
Edit: And yes, this only applies to sales to Washington state residents.
I might have farther to travel to PaizoCon, but it's nice to be tax-free!
Should it not be based on the zip code of the purchaser, whatevern his/her state of residence is. :(
(I actually have no problem with a "sales tax" on electronic purchases. Brick & Morter stores already have enough of a competative disadvange.)
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Should it not be based on the zip code of the purchaser, whatevern his/her state of residence is. :(
(I actually have no problem with a "sales tax" on electronic purchases. Brick & Morter stores already have enough of a competative disadvange.)
This only applies to WA residents, because that is where the business is. this applies to all online businesses, they must pay sales tax if the item is sold within any state they do normal everyday business in I think
This only applies to WA residents, because that is where the business is. this applies to all online businesses, they must pay sales tax if the item is sold within any state they do normal everyday business in I thinkShould it not be based on the zip code of the purchaser, whatevern his/her state of residence is. :(
(I actually have no problem with a "sales tax" on electronic purchases. Brick & Morter stores already have enough of a competative disadvange.)
Still too easy to circumvent. :(
(Let me be clear, I am not in favor of taxes per say, just leveling the field between online and brick&morter stores.)
Hmm...looks like it's time to start using my Navy FPO address...
residents of most states are supposed to report it as a use tax on their state tax returns.
few people actually do this, but you're supposed to.
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Luckily, Paizo doesn't do this, but I just found out that Amazon charges state sales tax for purchases shipped to an extortionist, I mean tax-collecting state, despite the Internet Tax Freedom Act, which doesn't expire until 2014. They're fighting this in court, but have to collect the taxes until the issue is resolved.
I'm pissed--not only do I have a billing address in Alaska (a tax-free state), but my shipping address (Kansas, while in school at Fort Leavenworth) is on federal property (where state taxes cannot be collected)!
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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residents of most states are supposed to report it as a use tax on their state tax returns.
few people actually do this, but you're supposed to.
Yeah, I'll likely have to do this this year. *sigh*
Shouldn't complain, since I'd prefer a use/sales tax over an income tax.
Luckily, Paizo doesn't do this, but I just found out that Amazon charges state sales tax for purchases shipped to an extortionist, I mean tax-collecting state, despite the Internet Tax Freedom Act, which doesn't expire until 2014. They're fighting this in court, but have to collect the taxes until the issue is resolved.
I'm pissed--not only do I have a billing address in Alaska (a tax-free state), but my shipping address (Kansas, while in school at Fort Leavenworth) is on federal property (where state taxes cannot be collected)!
From what I understand, the Internet Tax Freedom Act does not actually exempt internet sales from being taxed. It primarily exist so that access and use of the internet is not taxed. It also prevents both the seller's state and the buyer's state from applying sales tax to a purchase.
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From what I understand, the Internet Tax Freedom Act does not actually exempt internet sales from being taxed. It primarily exist so that access and use of the internet is not taxed. It also prevents both the seller's state and the buyer's state from applying sales tax to a purchase.Luckily, Paizo doesn't do this, but I just found out that Amazon charges state sales tax for purchases shipped to an extortionist, I mean tax-collecting state, despite the Internet Tax Freedom Act, which doesn't expire until 2014. They're fighting this in court, but have to collect the taxes until the issue is resolved.
I'm pissed--not only do I have a billing address in Alaska (a tax-free state), but my shipping address (Kansas, while in school at Fort Leavenworth) is on federal property (where state taxes cannot be collected)!
I pay 'tax' for my internet connection--whether it's labeled 'tax' or 'FCC Fee'...
I can't believe non-physical products, like digitally-distributed PDFs, are actually taxed! The next step, since WoW gold has a value on ebay, is to tax the amount of gold a player accumulates in the online game-world...
...that's only half tongue-in-cheek, by the way...
KoL meat also has a value on ebay. We can set up an exchange-rate table and track the fantasy currencies!
Technically the residents of other states are supposed to report/pay the sales tax themselves. No one ever does, there's been a few movements in state legislatures to try and nab that money (Kansas comes to mind in particular) but it'd be impossible to enforce unless done on a federal level.
I've paid Use Tax the past two years here in West Virginia, since it began appearing on the State Income Tax Form IT-140. I found out long after tax season this year that some state bureaucrat stated officially that it's supposed to also include any cost paid for shipping in the taxable amount. I must say that really sucks. Shipping is being paid by the company to ship it to me. I would assume they pay the tax on it at the time they pay for shipping and that is included in my price for shipping.
At any rate, it should be made more clear in next year's tax documentation since there was confusion about it this year.
Our state tax form really was awful this year (for 2008 income). For example, the direct deposit field on the state tax form had a space for the routing number but it was one digit too short. I just wrote the last digit out to the side of the space for the number as though another box were there. I did get the refund money direct-deposited into my account, but it wasn't until July when I filed in April. My mother had a problem with her taxes and she went to the tax department (we live in Charleston, the state capital, so literally she just went downtown) and they told her they were having problems with the machine reading and had to process many of the forms by hand.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Oh you Lawful good types....:-)Maybe it should, but the laws regarding taxation of internet sales are big-time wonky.This is true. Not only do different states have differing requirements, but sometimes departments within the states disagree.
We just do what the state of Washington tells us to do.
Lawful Neutral. Lawful good would include lobbying to show how you disagree.
Lawful evil would include a surcharge to WA people for the effort of collecting the taxes.
Fortunately, Wizards of the Coast is also in Washington, so I don't have to worry about not being taxed on any of my Dungeons & Dragons purchases.
Just out of curiosity, is this state tax based on the delivery address or the billing address? While I'm deployed, I'd obviously be receiving my shipments at places other than Washington state, but my billing address is still listed as Silverdale.
Thoughts?
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Fortunately, Wizards of the Coast is also in Washington, so I don't have to worry about not being taxed on any of my Dungeons & Dragons purchases.
Just out of curiosity, is this state tax based on the delivery address or the billing address? While I'm deployed, I'd obviously be receiving my shipments at places other than Washington state, but my billing address is still listed as Silverdale.
Thoughts?
Apparently, it's based on the shipping address (which is why I have my Amazon purchases shipped to my wife in Alaska, and then forwarded to me here in Kansas). Nonetheless, APOs remain tax-free.
Apparently, it's based on the shipping address (which is why I have my Amazon purchases shipped to my wife in Alaska, and then forwarded to me here in Kansas). Nonetheless, APOs remain tax-free.
At least with Amazon (and a few other companies I've dealt with, Target.com, BN.com and Toys'R'Us.com) it was always based on the shipping address. It's assumed that where it's shipped is where it'll be used for tax purposes.
