As states across the country struggle with budget
deficits in the billions, many officials are beginning to eye sales taxes on
online shopping.
In California alone, collecting such taxes could yield at
least $200 million yearly. Nationally, local and state governments could raise
billions.
“We can no longer ignore an entire segment of the retail
marketplace,” said Pat Leary, lobbyist for the California State Association of
Counties and a frequent online shopper herself. [Full Story]
What complete government arrogance in the statement “We can no longer
afford…” What we can no longer afford is eco-idiots who don’t understand the
simplest economic rules. One of the reasons people are shopping on the internet
is to escape the high state sales taxes in their states. If they lowered their
own taxes people would buy more in state which in turn would increase revenues.
But no, the government continues to lust after any revenue resource that comes
into view. They would strip mine the economy until it was devastated and then
wonder what happened. In a state like California where many Internet business
are selling products; if other states in-turn adopted these taxes then
California would lose jobs and revenue. We need predatory government official
notification laws so that if one moves into your neighborhood everybody would be
warned.
