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Jusgt what the country needs right now. More tax and spend morons imposing uncontitutional tax on out state businesses. NY legislators, you are truly a piece of work! This one will not survive constitutional challenges, as well it should not.

If you remember for years NYS was sending folks over to the malls of NJ during Christmas time taking down the license plates of NY cars in the lots. Then they sent letters to those owners saying we notice you shopping in NJ. If you made any clothing purchases you are responsible for NYS tax.

Enough already! New Yorkers and New Jersey are heavily taxed. All these awful politicians come up with is how to think up ways to steal the working class hard earned money. It makes me wonder why on earth are these fools put in office in the first place. I don't drive in Manhattan, but I do feel for the merchants or people who have to drive there and might be facing a congestion tax. New York should be called Tax City, live here at your own risk.

of course not!

The commenter who said we New Yorkers already are liable for tax on internet purchases is correct. Here's a Q&A from the Dept of Taxation and Finance website.

"Question: Do I have to report sales and use taxes for internet purchases on my personal income tax return?

"Answer: Yes .... "

THe NY tax form asks if you made any out-of-state purchases on which you didn't pay tax, and if so gives you the option of paying the actual tax or using a formula.

The issue the show addressed, I presume, is whether the tax must be paid by the buyer when he/she files a tax return (this of course depends on peoples' honesty in disclosing that they made these purchases and didn't pay tax to the vendor), or whether to make the vendor collect and remit the tax.

Also, Brian asked the guy who said he uses a proxy server to disguise his NY address whether that was legal, and he said yes. It's no doubt legal to use a proxy server if one wants anonymity on the Web, but I doubt very much that it's legal not to pay the tax.

Barry Bedrick

In the last year:

Water tax has gone up 11%
Subway fares are going up
Property tax has gone up
Con Ed has been granted a huge increase
Heating oil and natural gas are up

The cost of groceries is climbing
Health insurance is out of reach

Requiring sales tax on out of state purchases will be the last straw for many of us.

By the way, internet purchases do keep cars off the street. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out. It's ironic that this tax discussion occurred concurrently with the congestion pricing issue and both guests on the show effectively downplayed the point. I guess we need another taxpayer funded study!

Please no. I feel crushed by the tax man as it is.

Yes to business taxation on the internet.

A business that would otherwise have to pay taxes in a brick store should not be exempt on the internet. The reverse is also true for solely internet business sellers, to ensure fairness of competition.

No to private taxation.

This includes the sale of used items that have already been taxed once in their life cycle and are not being sold for profit. This is especially true of auction sale items.

The Tax Rate vs Shipping and Handling

For the most part, there is no shipping cost component to a purchase from a brick store unless the item is delivered. This inequity is not best solved by a one tax fits all solution. Obviously more thought needs to go into this beyond what I currently hear discussed by the legislators (and others).

New York State already does: Buy a computer from Dell and you will be charged all your state and local taxes.

Tell Ms. Glick your opinion directly

http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=66

To the people supporting this who posted saying the taxes are needed for services, let me ask you.... what gold plated services are you getting for all your tax dollars? Many states have no income tax at all let alone city taxes, etc, etc and I can assure you, the kids go to school, garbage is picked up, water flows, etc... and probably better than it does here! Where does it stop before NYC/NY state actually tighten their belt and provide efficiencies?

Please do not pass this new law! It's bad enough that New York is one of the most expensive places to live and now you are taking away one of the last places that we the people can hope to save some cash!

I believe in honestly paying my taxes...but seeing what you take out from paycheck every two weeks...well isn't that enough?? New York is definitely becoming a place for the rich...is there a secretive policy in place that eliminating the middle class is a law?

I say NO to Internet taxes.

Reasons why not:
--Enforcement (how many millions of online businesses are there?; how are tax exempt purchases handled?)
--Inequitability (do catalog purchases get taxed then also?)
--Damage (the environment will suffer since people will now drive to a store to buy to save on shipping if they have to pay tax anyway; customers will be hurt b/c the businesses may raise prices to offset the extra cost of administering sales taxes)
--Loss of revenue (NY-ers already stretched will move because it's one more tax to tip the balance beyond middle class affordability in this state -- I know I'll move away if any more costs get lumped on my back, congestion pricing included)

BTW, as a NYC resident you have the distinct pleasure of already being the highest tax people in the nation - by a nice margin. can't wait for my transfer to go through!

Not "yes", but, I feel as though it will happen eventually.

NO!! As a student, I am already taxed on my meager stipend, have to pay outrageous sums for textbooks (which I can only buy online), and now you want to take away the only resource or advantage I have to survive (the hours of research I spend online to save as much money as possible)??

The argument that if only we shopped brick-and-mortar stores, all the other retailers on the "corridor" would benefit, is ridiculous. Those of us really savvy enough to do the majority of our shopping online should be looking up merchandise on the internet to make sure it's not cheaper (with or without the sales tax) there first! I am only ruled by competitiveness in my purchases, sorry.

And to suggest that this is somehow progressive is equally specious. Perhaps there is asymmetry in terms of knowledge (of the internet), but I hardly think those holding the knowledge (or willingness to invest hours of research) are the millionaires Albany should be going after first. Why, just because the wealthy can financially and politically insulate themselves does that mean the state is justified in coming after me instead? Make the big boys pay their fair share first (which should buy me out of a few more years of internet taxes), and then we can talk. Since when is exclusive targeting of the middle class progressive?

Amazon, please take 'em to court!

If you don't buy anything on the internet, you don't pay! Stop consuming, stop paying, and please stop complaining.

ABSOLUTELY NO TO INTERNET TAX!!!! We're already heavily taxed as it is.
Government should Cut their spending.

Yes, internet shopping will continue to grow and will eventually, most likely, become a more popular retail tool then actual, physical, shopping.
So, the times are changing--internet tax is inevitable.

i hope it's a joke.
if it's not, then NO.

This segment or the next has to be the April fools joke.

No!!!

Why should we be punished for living in New York. This is crazy.

NO! How much more money can this state and particularly, city grab from its people. Most of my family has already left NY due to the high cost of everything and especially its punitive tax structure. I am not far behind... I wonder who they think is going to subsidize these masses of people on the public dole and subsidies as the higher wage earners leave the city.

NO, NO NO!!! Without exception. We ought to track all those who vote in favor of this tax increase for retaliation at the polls when they come up for re-election.

It would be a reason to move out of this city. It's expensive enough to live here. The economy is going down anyway. Officials should be happy that people are still here and buy anything at all.

Absolutely not.

PLEASE NO!!!!!!!! Didn't we just hear from your guest today that New Yorkers are the most heavily taxed people in the nation?????? Enough already!

Not if the item is purchased out-of-state.

I think there should be sales tax on the internet to the extent there are sales taxes on those same items purchased in local stores.

But there already is on the NY Tax Form IT-201, line 59. They allow you to pay a flat fee that varies I believe based on your income and I had to pay $40 this year based on my internet purchases.

From the consumers' perspective...

This tax is not a new tax. It would merely apply existing New York tax law to out-of-state vendors. The same exemptions for food and clothing would be in effect for internet purchases. If you aren't paying taxes on internet purchases now, you're getting away with evading taxes. This law would make that more difficult.

From the sellers' perspective...

Assuming other states start passing similar laws, it could rapidly become and administrative -- and potentially legal -- nightmare for small internet retailers. Big retailers like Amazon could suck it up. There are services that facilitate multi-state tax processing, but that would be a new cost for the smaller vendors.

I can see a huge technical problem with states charging sales tax for purchases over the internet on the sellers' side.

Large volume businesses which are already set up to handle remitting taxes to 50 states can manage this.

But for the typical small seller on the internet this would be a nightmare.

They can set up to pay sales taxes in their own state, but I would not want to try to sell some household goods from my big house when \I moved to a small apartment, or the goods I'd picked up at a local auction if I had to fill out 50 different income tax forms for purchasers from 50 different states.

It would be even worse if the seller had to get a Tax ID number for each state. I had a New York Sales Tax number at one time and I had to fill out forms on a regular basis even if I had made no sales.

If the legislature is serious about this, at the very least New York State needs to create a flat state-wide sales tax rate. Now, if you collect sales taxes, you have to collect different taxes for every single jurisdiction (which don't even correspond with zip codes!). Obviously, this would be easy if you are selling out of a storefront or two and only have to worry about the rate at your location(s), but it is incredibly onerous for small internet retailers shipping all over the state to accurately calculate the taxes they owe. I can guarantee you that if this passes a lot of out-of-state retailers will simply refuse to ship to New York State.

Yes.

We need taxes in order to have government services. I don't mind taxes, as long as the government provides valuable services with those taxes.

College education used to be free in New York City, and essentially free in New York State. Students today should have free college education the way I did.

If taxes are used to pay to lower the cost of college education, I would be willing to pay more taxes. That's only fair.

The Republicans used anti-tax propaganda to serve their ulterior goal of destroying the government, as Paul Krugman has explained. Don't fall for Republican propaganda.

Is this an April Fool's Day trick??

#49

Yeah I think that's probably next...a flushing tax

It is a moot point. On line 35 of the NYS IT 150 form you can use a chart to determine the tax of out of state purchases including internet. This line actually can hurt New York State in tax collection. If you purchase a large amount of items out of state (let's say cigarettes) and use the chart, you meet your obligation for taxes but the chart is usually less than the actual tax owed. NYC has gone after people for purchasing cigarettes out of state but if a resident paid using the "Sales and use tax chart" they can use this as a loophole.

Wait!!! It's April 1st...please tell us this is an april fool's day prank!

NO WAY!

What does sales tax pay for anyway? From what I understand, sales tax goes to large businesses to set up shop in our area. That means that money goes to businesses that already can afford to pay taxes. It doesn't help local people at all. Why should regular people have to line the pockets of the wealthy more than they already do?

Good God! What’s next? Is New York going to tax me when I go to the bathroom?

It's foolish to discuss Internet ST.
Any company that is incorporated in the state of NY has to collect ST wherever the item is shipped from.
Internet sales from companies that aren't registered in NY do not constitute most online sales.
Dell for example is incorporated in NYS and charges ST.
You can avoid the ST and use Tax by applying for a waiver if you are a corporation in NYS.

For inter-state retailers, sales tax collecting & filing is absurd! Not only does every STATE have a different rate, but often each COUNTY has an additional tax, and even some CITIES have tax. It is very difficult to manage tax calculations across all the different states since often you can't even use something like a zip code to determine the correct tax - and imagine filing 50 sales tax forms EVERY QUARTER. This is really anti-business as well as anti-consumer. If the states want in on inter-state commerce, there should be a single national sales tax applied to everyone with no determination of individual tax based on shipping or billing address. Let the feds and the states do the paperwork to figure out how to distribute their share of the tax.

I won't support any new taxes unless it goes directly to support universal health care.

Why not more taxes, perhaps we can pay for the developers Porsche's parking spot...heck while were at it why don't we tax for hours slept!

The selling seller state should get the sales tax.This would allow the retailer to only file sales tax in one state and give state motivation to attract sellers.

A percentage of sales tax revenue collected on sales in a physical location are used to provide services for people physically in the location. These services include, but are not limited to police, fire, EMS and upkeep of roads.

A virtual shopper uses few or none of these services so a tax on virtual sales should not be even considered.
As other posters have mentioned, people not adding to a drain on services should be rewarded not taxed.

I am a small antiquarian bookseller and I understand the woes of independent booksellers. However, this "internet-only" tax proposal is selective, would hurt the middle classes, and would, as another person has pointed out, punish those who abstain from driving. Meanwhile, wealthy people spend big bucks buying expensive luxury goods abroad or out of state, very often deliberately avoiding NY suppliers in order to avoid paying sales tax. This happens all the time. A better way to boost our state tax income would be to enforce the so-called "use tax" on products OVER a certain cost. This would achieve the same purpose but would take the money from people who actually HAVE IT and who don't have to borrow money in order to pay their taxes (and just about everything else). We middle-class individuals and small business owners in NYC are taxed to death already.

Down with Paterson, Down with Bruno!!!!

Is this internet tax based on where our computers are (where the purchase is being made) or where the products are being sent?

My answer is NO tax.

Your guest stated that the goods still have to be delivered thereby still contributing to congestion. To the contrary, consider the UPS/Fedex men public transportation for goods delivered, certainly more efficienct to hundreds of people shopping and bringing goods home individually.

No. I'm a graduate student at the CUNY Graduate Center and buy my books online at the beginning of every semester. My university has no book store and it would take hours to shop around major chains in Manhattan to find the academic texts I need. These are not the sort of books that small bookstores carry in Debra Glick's district.

USB Male-A to Male-B Printer Cable:

RadioShack: USD 19.99

YourCableStore.com: Price: USD 1.54
Shipping: USD 2.50
Total: USD 4.04

You decide...

An internet tax may or may not be a good idea, but the arguement that it should be used to "level the playing field" is ridiculous. If brick and mortar stores are struggling to compete without evolving thier business to the changing times I don't have much sympathy for them.

Not to mention it is my understanding that if an online store has a physical store in a state it must charge sales tax for that state when selling to a resident of that state online.

online sales tax for stores based in NY already prevents me from purchasing from them. if you tax everyone else to ship to NY then i will simply send it to a CT address and have a co-worker bring it in.

i always shop for lowest price (tax + shipping is often better than NYC retail price)

in short.. NO.

1. Any Sales tax is a regressive tax...
2. If the purpose of the tax is to encourage us to use b/m stores, then it should take into account those who are disabled, or even just unabled by age or illness for whom the net makes life easier.
3. The internet needs the freedom to grow -- taxation will slow and alter the process

Improve subway service on weekends and off-peak hours and I might actually consider coming to the city to shop.

There should be a tax (if we are going to pay sales tax it should be on both the internet and in person). However, I agree with Mr. Golden, there would be a constitutional problem at the federal level in terms of interstate commerce.

MORE taxes? Geez...yet another reason to leave NY.

Aside from the regressive nature of sales taxes, internet purchases should be treated the same way as conventional mail-order catalog purchases.

As much as I wouldn't want to pay the tax myself, I have to be fair and vote for the sales tax to extend to online sales. People without access to the internet tend to be lower income and can't afford to shoulder the burdens of taxation that the rest of us can avoid.

I'm a working class guy trying my best to continue living in this city. Every aspect of life here has escalated in cost except for my wages. I am not a person of means as Ms. Glick believes, I am a hand to mouth New Yorker. Give a guy a break where he can get it.

I have a NYC business that pays all corp tax but we sell online and compete with companies all over the US that are in no sales tax zones. A NYC tax would only force us out and state would not get our corporate tax.

sales tax in NYS is so complex as is! 20 different jurisdictions with different rates! right i pay on nys tax retur4n now!

Are you kidding me?!?!?!? I just did my taxes and my resources are beginning to dwindle because of attitudes like hers. Yeah, I work hard and would like to have a little something to show for it in the end!

I'm beginning to see why people vote republican....

Clothing costing less than $150 is not taxed in NYC. Why should it be taxed online?

Are you kidding me? First of all, sales taxes are to benefit the local community. Whether we agree with the regressiveness of the tax also an issue. Sales tax spent at a store in NYC, should be spent for NYC services. Internet taxes are not spent on NYC goods directly going to city coffers. It also sets a precedent further adding to the regressiveness of taxes.

Wow more money that goes to things the city. When does it stop... When do we get a break.

Definitely charge the tax. As it is, stores with retail establishments in the City charge taxes on internet purchases. Ir should be the same for all retailers.

You mentioned the competition of Amazon. Serevral of those sellers are individuls, not businesses. How would those buyers sales tax be sent to the Govt? Would that be the sellers responsibilty. This would kill the small sellers on Amazon and Ebay. Wouldn't be worth the hassle.

This is insane. Tax the rich! this tax will not work. people will find ways around it.

It's NOT a new tax! I used to live in NY. Now I live in New Jersey. Both New York and New Jersey require people to pay Use Tax for internet, catalog and out-of-state purchases. I pay that tax now in NJn and I paid it when I lived in New York. Am I the only sucker who actually does?

I'm inclined to say no,

but... the devil is in the details. How would this be enforced? Is the proposal to tax only purchases made through NY businesses? If so, how will this be determined?

No, it would definitely slow down my web purchases. I view the shipping cost as a trade off against the taxes, but if you start charging BOTH for online purchase, I will get off the couch and go to the store. Quite honestly, the dual cost is one reason I do no catalogue shopping

I pay sales tax already on many online purchases (B & N is one example) - any business with a NY location is charging tax.

If I make a phone purchase to an out of state company with no NY incorporation, etc, I pay no sales tax. WILL this apply to PHONE SALES? If not, there will indeed be a legal issue.

The solution, of course, is national value added taxes, but we're a long way from that.

I agree that sales tax should be applied to online sales, but what about non-profits that are tax exempt or textbook sales? It is very difficult to tell websites to waive sales taxes if you are eligible to do so.

Only if they are buying Yankee's gear

No! No! We're already heavily taxed as it is. Sales taxes are regressive, they hit everyone poor and rich alike.

no. more. taxes.

Either no sales tax for everyone and all purchases or sales tax for all purchases. Internet purchases because of their linkage to credit cards are typically performed by the middle class, so yes tax.

NO I agree with the above poster - we save on congestion by buying on the Net. I also don't want the State snooping on my computer...I already am creeped out that the Fed probbably does.

Didn't they already do this? I recall having to estimate web purchases during the 2006 tax year filing, and pay a tax on this. I didn't see this as part of my 2007 tax filing, however...

And, my vote is....NO! How would they enforce this?

Another reason to move across the river to Jersey! Our taxes in NY (and NYC) are rediculous, why not add more ontop of it ha. And then we'll will just move out.

No tax. Cut spending. Be fiscally responsible adults.

I live in New Jersey, but I’m against taxing Internet purchases. I did my taxes this weekend, and found a line on the NJ tax form that asks for the value of Internet purchases that no NJ sales tax was paid. Can’t tell you what I put there. The "I" tax is a bad idea, and is probably unenforceable unless the seller collects it.

As a small internet retailer, (one man shop, me) I am OPPOSED to collecting sales tax for any other state except for my own, New York. The technical difficulties of collecting taxes for hundreds of tax jurisdictions in the 48 States that impose a sales tax will hurt the small business man in New York State. Isn't it funny that this debate is only brought to the fore when we hit tough economic times?

Sales taxes are all regressive taxes; poor people get the same rate that rich people do. Sales taxes are essentially unfair. Couple that with acceding to a tax on the internet, it is a very objectionable idea economically, and it is inequitable. It also opens the door for internet taxes of other sorts.
The internet must be kept clear of government and taxation.

YES> THere should be an Internet tax- but only 1-2%

Absolutely not! I'm offended that they know where my computer is located as it is! If purchasing online saves city traffic congestion they should reward those of us who use this method.

ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NO!!!!

WE ARE TAXED TO DEATH IN THIS STATE!!!!

NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!!!