Archangel Michael's Journal: Internet Taxes

Okay, here is where things get interesting.

We should be taxing the crap out of things that are harmful to society, and untaxing things that are actually GOOD for society.

Is having an income good? If so, why are we taxing it?

Think what would happen if we taxed PORNO instead? or Drugs? Or Prostitution? or whatever. Taxing stuff that makes society better is just plain STUPID.

I wouldn't be opposed to a sales tax on Internet purchases, in the current wacky tax/spend system we have today. But here is how I would set it up.

Any Purchase made by or through a internet source or destination inside the USoA would be taxed at a FLAT rate, to be evenly divided among the origination and destination states.

For instance, Ma&Pa Internet Sales INC, sells me a $100 pair of gold plated plastic spoons. They are in Texas, and I am in South Dakota (not really). Texas and South Dakota get 1/2 of the collected sales tax. Let us say that sales tax is 4% that would mean SD and TX would both get $2 each.

Now, if I were in say London, M&P would still collect 4% tax. Tex would get $2, and the other $2 would go to some other fund.

If on the otherhand, M&P were in London instead, that is a tricky issue. I think Import duties and other such restrictions would then apply.

My opinion

[bethanie]

I like your point about taxing income. Why discourage people from making money by taxing it? (Although I think the benefits derived from higher income generally outweigh the costs of what you have to pay to the gov't -- but I'd rather keep that money.)

I won't disagree with you about the internet tax. All I will say is the simpler, the better.

I would like to see a tax system based on consumption. You pay taxes based on what you buy. Period.

....Bethanie....

to a degree

[SolemnDragon]

because otherwise the poor would be REALLY poor; i couldn't pay taxes on all my food. People like me who are on high-cost medicines, diets, and so on would starve!

So there's got to be some kind of balance, and i think that taxing things that people need to live is bad (oh, wait, we already agreed on that.)

Never mind; i'm obviously having Yet Another Neurotransmitter-Challenged Day.

...guess i better go doublecheck all the work i just did. *sigh*

sol