[1634]
{D So, } let's talk about the, {F uh, } wonderful abuses in the State of Pennsylvania of personal property taxes whereby you can purchase something mail order /{C and } after the fact, the State of Pennsylvania can find out about it and send you a bill for the sales tax appropriate to that item that you purchased as well as interest and penalties
[1611]
{D Well, } {D actually, } I don't think they're out of line. /[ De-, + Devil's ] advocate possibly, /{C but }
[1634]
[ What, + what ] if you're not doing it in order to circumvent the law though? /{E I mean } what if you don't even realize that you're subject to paying, {F uh, } income tax on something that you purchase mail order? /
[1611]
Really, [ [ I, + I, ] + I ] don't think that's a valid argument. /I think that most people are quite aware they're not paying that six percent sales tax. /{F Um, } [ [ s-, + s-, ] + naturally [ some, + some ] ] things you just can't find in your local K-Mart [ or, + or, ] {F uh, } Bryn Mawr stereo dealer. /{F Uh, } {C but } [ [ [ th-, + th-, ] + th-, ] + then ] why not [ pay, + pay ] the sales tax (( )). /Corporations have to, /why should an individual [ just because it's, + just because the state ] can't really find out about it, be able to avoid paying sales tax? /
[1634]
{D Well, } {E I mean, } it seems to me that, generally, at least in my own experience, when I purchase something mail order, it's not to circumvent paying sales tax to the State of Pennsylvania. /It's because, {E I'm sorry, } the Commonwealth of # Pennsylvania. # -/
[1611]
# Yes. # /
[1634]
{F Uh, } it's because [ I, + I ] can't find the item that I want at a competitive price anywhere in my local area. /{C So } I go outside the area for that. /{C And } I think that it's not my responsibility to police myself and pay Pennsylvania what they believe they are owed even though, {D you know, } the revenue stream went to another state. /[ I don't, + I don't ] think that that's my responsibility [ as a, + as a ] conscientious consumer. /
[1611]
[1634]
[1611]
for you to do that? /[ [ W-, + w-, ] + [ fr-, + from ] what ] I understand from [ [ v-, + v-, ] + various ] net readings, [ [ [ i-, + i-, ] + it, ] + the Federal government ] is going to try to legislate a more aggressive enforcement of state tax schemes, {F uh, } [ in, + into ] place in the next few years. /[ It is, + it is ] a lost revenue stream right now /{C and } states [ c-, + can ] use all the revenue they can get. /[ With some, + with something ] like that, [ d-, + do ] your arguments still apply? /
[1634]
{D Well, } I think that [ if, + if ] policy is established and if a mechanism is put into place to promote the collection of taxes in this fashion, then I don't argue with it. /{C Because } it's not a burden on the consumer to remember that {F oh, } I bought this out of state. /I need
[1611]
Which is exactly what businesses do at the present. /
[1634]
Right. /{C But } the point is is that businesses do that. /The business that you purchase the thing from is responsible for collecting the appropriate sales tax and forwarding it to the state in question. /That's a cost of doing business. /The # burden # --
[1611]
# {C And } [ [ I, + I ] + # --
[1634]
-- shouldn't be placed on the consumer. /
[1611]
-- I ] was actually talking about businesses purchasing something mail order and then [ having, + having ] to pay sales tax on it. /
[1634]
{F Uh. } /
[1611]
That's my understanding of [ the way, + {F uh, } the way ] it works. /Usually, [ the, + the ] person ordering doesn't pay. /{C But } the accounting department will, {F uh, } suck up all the bills at the end of the month and realize how much they have to pay. /{C And } [ there r-, + there are ] [ s-, + some ] substantial, nasty penalties, {F um, } [ if you, + if businesses ] try to avoid that. /
[1634]
{F Uh, } do you mean businesses from the point of view [ as, + ] [ of, + of ] selling things to a # consumer and # --
[1611]
# I-, (( )). # -/
[1634]
-- then being responsible for the sales tax?
[1611]
No. /Businesses, {F uh } --
[1634]
Or purchasing. /
[1611]
-- if purchasing things mail order, /[ if, + if ] I'm a computer consulting firm and I see [ these, + this ] great deal on forty-six mother boards, {F uh, } [ from, + from ] say Utah. /{F Um, } [ I, + I ] might buy the mother boards from Utah but then still have to pay Pennsylvania sales tax. /My [ a-, + accounting ] department will at the end of the month. /[ I think that [ i-, + i-, ] + I think that's ] the way things work in Pennsylvania. /{C And } I know they work that way [ in, + {F uh, } {D say } here in ] D C. /
[1634]
Yeah. /{D See } I'm unfamiliar with that because [ I don't, + I never see ] that end of the business. /
[1611]
Yeah. /
[1634]
{C So, } my only experience has been from the point of view of a consumer. /{F Uh, } {C but, } if that's the case, if the business is responsible for policing themselves, then I think some well defined mechanisms need to be in place so that, {F uh, } the opportunity [ f-, + ] to forget that you owe sales tax for something, {F uh, } can be avoided. /
[1611]
That's true. /[ [ [ I-, + i-, ] + a r-, ] + a big ] hole does exist right now, {F uh, } in that consumers can just say {F oh, } [ I, + I ] forgot that. /[ There, + there ] is no well defined mechanism at all /[ {C and, } + {C and } ] that it is [ a +